Financial secrets of the Amish

Bayou Renaissance Man has an article up that is a must read.  Check it out here.

My bigger take away?

People are sensing that something is wrong.  Even if they don't follow my lead and point at globalization as being the culprit, everyone knows that its past time to batten down the hatches and get ready for rough weather.

Fake until you make it is out (although many still feel compelled to follow that concept)....Frugality is the new cool.

Marine Armored Vehicle Procurement. Pure turmoil. Pure chaos.

I've been sitting on the latest news about the AAV Upgrade for a few days...almost a week now.  I needed to chew on it for a bit.  I've reached my conclusions but check this out from Defense Industry Daily (read the entire article..well worth your time).

The USMC needs to keep its 40+ year old AAV Amtracs in service, after destroying the EFV amphibious armored personnel carrier replacement program in 2011 with over-ambitious requirements. Iraq taught the USMC that the Amtracs didn’t offer enough protection, and so the latest refurbishment effort plans to improve the AAVP-7A1 personnel carrier’s protection levels. Deliveries are expected to take place between 2018 – 2023…

The Marine Corps is going full speed ahead with an F-35 that is not ready for combat, yet will slow walk UPGRADES to the AAV?

Deliveries of this supposed upgrade is to take place between 2018 and 2023?

Totally unsat.

General Amos has totally screwed up the AAV/MPC/ACV programs.  While he focused on the F-35 like a laser, he neglected the Ground Combat Element and has made the MTVR the vehicle of choice for Marines acting in an expeditionary environment.

This will rank high as a serious failure of his tenure in office....one of many.

For those that believe that the F-35 hasn't wrecked the USMC's budget I present this as item #1.  That airplane has gobbled up the USMC and if it doesn't deliver as promised the pain will be enduring.  Again from the DID article....

Phase 1.2′s timing will coincide with the beginning of a demographic fiscal crunch, in parallel with increased operations and maintenance costs for the high-maintenance platforms (esp. MV-22 and F-35B) the USMC has been buying lately. That doesn’t augur well, and implies that the AAV7 fleet will remain important for a long time.

Leadership inside the Marine Corps remained silent while the air wing consumed an ever larger portion of the budget.

That is now set in stone.

We will be lucky to even get upgrades to the AAV, and I now doubt whether we will even be able to afford the Marine Personnel Carrier if that program is allowed to continue.

The air power zealots have won.

Our only hope is that a REAL Marine will be appointed as Commandant in 5 months.  Additionally we'll have to hope that he has the fortitude to buck the SecDef and reverse direction on several of Amos' initiatives.

We'll see.

Is this proof of US plotting to overthrow the Ukrainian govt?

Thanks for the info Don!

Everyone has been saying it but I hadn't seen evidence that the US and in particular the State Department had been at the center of the protests that led to the overthrow of the Ukrainian govt.

After getting past the headline grabbing "Fuck the EU" I'm beginning to wonder.  Check this out...

Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the United States Department of State Victoria Nuland's infamous February phone call with Geoffrey Pyatt, US Ambassador to Ukraine
Transcript of leaked Nuland-Pyatt call -- portion:
Nuland: OK. He's now gotten both Serry and [UN Secretary General] Ban Ki-moon to agree that Serry could come in Monday or Tuesday. So that would be great, I think, to help glue this thing and to have the UN help glue it and, you know, Fuck the EU.
Pyatt: Yeah. I guess... in terms of him not going into the government, just let him stay out and do his political homework and stuff. I'm just thinking in terms of sort of the process moving ahead we want to keep the moderate democrats together. The problem is going to be Tyahnybok [Oleh Tyahnybok, the other opposition leader] and his guys and I'm sure that's part of what [President Viktor] Yanukovych is calculating on all this.
Nuland: [Breaks in] I think Yats is the guy who's got the economic experience, the governing experience. He's the... what he needs is Klitsch and Tyahnybok on the outside. He needs to be talking to them four times a week, you know. I just think Klitsch going in... he's going to be at that level working for Yatseniuk, it's just not going to work.
Pyatt: Yeah, no, I think that's right. OK. Good. Do you want us to set up a call with him as the next step?
Nuland: My understanding from that call - but you tell me - was that the big three were going into their own meeting and that Yats was going to offer in that context a... three-plus-one conversation or three-plus-two with you. Is that not how you understood it?
Feb 6
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki acknowledged that the recording was authentic and said Nuland had apologized to E.U. officials.

Why hasn't this been emphasized and investigated by the mainstream media?

I don't know but one thing is certain.  We have idiots in the State Dept that are playing games that are getting people killed, destabilizing governments and causing suffering.

That is unsat.

EXCALIBUR ARMY (BMP M2 vehicle manufacturer) has calendar girls!

Thanks for the vid Paralus!



YES!!!!

BAE, Locheed Martin Ground Vehicles Division, General Dynamics and everyone else....if you want us to sit up and take notice of your vehicles then follow Excalibur Army's lead!

Sikorsky autonomous BLACK HAWK

Bundy Ranch News. James Yeager talks FBI Investigation.

Hmmm.  This sound more like a cleansing statement to me.  The idea that he didn't see anyone point weapons at Federal LEO's is questionable at best.  If he checked the coverage of events or talked to Oath Keepers/Militia at the incident site then he would be aware.

But he denies it in this vid.

I'm not a Yeager basher but he needs to do better than this and go straight at the issue.  While he's right about the media twisting the reason for the response, he's wrong when he downplays criminality that has attached itself to this situation.

The time might come.  Hell I expect it to come (I believe financial collapse is inevitable...the Rube Goldberg Machine known as globalization is too complex NOT to fail).  But this wasn't it.

Timing is everything.

More on the BMP-M2

Many thanks to Andaar for telling me about the company, Excalibur Army.

  Bmp m2 Skcz en Final

  Dvoulist Bmp m2 Skcz en Final

You really have to check out Excalibur Army's website here.  They're doing interesting things with vehicle upgrades.  The BMP-M2 upgraded vehicle is impressive alone, but barring that they offer a more modest upgrade package.

These guys bear watching!

Ukraine has already fallen...One burning question remains.

Consider this.

Instead of being a lead story on the nightly news, we have the above video being turned into a gif and played on Jalopnik...a car website.

Ukraine is lost.

The nation is failed and the only thing left to do is to prevent the contagion from spreading.  The fact that the Obama Administration hasn't admitted as much is par for the course.  The fact that Putin pulled back his troops from the borders lets us all in on the secret.

The Russian mission has been accomplished.

If we can agree on that then only one burning question remains.  If we failed to act aggressively toward Russia (and I don't think Ukraine was worth going to war over...but I'm no policy maker) when they invaded/destabilized a sovereign country then what happens when China seizes disputed territory?

If the clear eyed, realistic answer is nothing, then we've already lost.  Online Twitter protests will not work.  Pathetic sanctions on government officials will be laughable.  And if the ties between Europe and Russia were too intense to risk then what about the ties between China and the rest of the world?

We have gotten into bed with a communist country and as a result have defeated ourselves.  Unless we unwind economically from China then we can basically shutter our armed forces.  They won't be useful in the coming conflict.

Cindy Landolt. Fitness Hottie...

The Commandant’s response “a weak legalistic dodge”

The commandant’s response “a weak legalistic dodge,” ...Gary Solis, Former Marine Corps Judge Advocate, current Georgtown & George Washington Law Professor

The Major Weirick issue is important but when viewed through the lens of Amos' entire tenure as Commandant, is simply another example of a HQMC gone off the tracks.  via Foreign Policy...

The scrutiny has led to growing concern at the Pentagon about whether the commandant's legacy can be salvaged, several Marine officers there told Foreign Policy. He also is seen as damaged by many on Capitol Hill, said one senior staff member for a Republican member of the House Armed Services Committee. Like many individuals for this story, the officers and staff member spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue and not wanting to be perceived as crossing the commandant. The staff member said that because Amos has less than a year until he retires, there is little appetite in Congress to debate whether he can still do his job well, but the questions have been raised.

And then this....

"Amos runs the risk of being a lame duck, and that's something that would be unique for a commandant," the Republican staffer said. "I think a lot of people look at this, and where they see smoke, there's fire. At this point, a pattern has developed, and I think people wonder whether he can effectively lead the Marine Corps."

And finally this...

But the irony of the commandant calling sharply and specifically for Marines to act ethically while he faces an IG investigation is not lost on rank-and-file Marines, one Marine sergeant major with more than 20 years in the Marine Corps told Foreign Policy.
"He's pointing the finger in the wrong direction," the sergeant major said. "At this point, it's pretty clear he's an unethical guy and only is out to take care of himself."

The Marine Corps needs to do a serious after action and lessons learned on the tenure of General Amos as Commandant.

Its obvious that he has failed.  Its obvious that he no longer has the trust of those he leads.

The question that needs to be answered is this.  How do we prevent another substandard officer from wrecking the Corps if a President appoints another politician in uniform instead of a Marine to the top spot? 

Alex Caldow’s “ZSU-40-4 Self Propelled Anti Aircraft Gun Concept...

Note:  Alex Caldow's site is here.

Slovakia Army BMP2 upgrade

Note:  All photos property of Cem Altinisik.  Used with his permission.

I noted this highly modified and seriously upgraded BMP2 last year.  Quite honestly I thought it was a one off and that it wouldn't go into production.  Looks like I was wrong.

This will probably be the near term future for armored vehicle production.

Not new builds but simply upgraded and modified versions of existing vehicles.  But unlike the USMC, the Slovakia Army is actually getting on with the work of producing this vehicle.

Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) refuses to discuss A-10 success (Army failure) at recent exercise...

Do you remember this story by David over at War is Boring Blog?

If you don't then follow the above link, but here's a quick run down.  The US Army sent a unit to JRTC at Ft. Polk, LA and the Red Force proceeded to kick major league ass.  It was so bad that an Air Force Lt. Colonel said the following....

The Opposing Force quickly gained the advantage. “The Army got it handed to them,” Waring said. “No other way to put it.” Opfor “killed” the entire Army force twice, forcing it to “regenerate”—like getting extra lives in a video game.

I have huge respect for my bro's in the Army (one team, one fight and we all suck mud) so I was surprised to hear that one performed so poorly.

Honestly I was stumped, so I sent an e-mail to JRTC to find out exactly what happened.  Well after dealing with "Big Army" I'm becoming a bit less proud of the way that the Big Green does business.  My request got bounced around a couple of offices until it landed on the desk of Ft. Polk Public Affairs.

This is when sunshine turned to shit.

This is the response I got back...

Apologies that you had to wait a week for a reply. I am Fort Polk's media relations officer; your email should have been directed to me.
JRTC rotations are designed for training joint forces to prepare for any challenges that lie ahead. Part of that training consists of after-action reviews so joint forces can learn from their mistakes, if mistakes have been made. That's what makes a JRTC rotation one of the most valuable tools a member of our armed forces can undergo.
It's not our policy to release specific details of any given rotation.
You are, of course, welcome to file a Freedom of Information Act request.

 Are you kidding me?

Seriously?

Really?

A USAF Lt. Colonel is out in public basically chest thumping and high five-ing his squadron...while at the same time telling the whole world that without A-10's flying support the US Army is lost and they don't want to get there side of the story out?

I'll jump through the hoop.

I'll fill out the Freedom of Information Request.

I'll get my hands on the After Action Reports to the Units and the Brigade/Division along with the lessons learned.  But this points to something that should worry everyone.  From what we know, the Blue Force ran into a moderately technologically capable force that had helicopters in support.  Facing this threat they were easily defeated.

China is a high tech, mechanized, heavily armored force that has the backing of air assets that would make the Red Force look like Boy Scouts.

Maybe the erosion of conventional warfare capabilities has already taken hold?

Art of the Mag Flip

Sa'ar 5 Class Corvettes. The most powerful ships per pound in the world....

I was reading Bayou Renaissance Man's Blog and Peter made a statement that stopped me in my tracks....

I like the Israeli approach, which crams lots of hitting power into even small hulls (see, for example, its Sa'ar 5 class corvettes, which as far as I know are the most heavily armed ships of their size [just over 1,000 tons] anywhere in the world, and on an armament-per-ton or tons-per-weapon basis might be the most heavily armed warships since the age of the dreadnought).

The Sa'ar 5 is the most heavily armed vessel pound for pound in the world?  Being the skeptic that I am I immediately started looking for ships that are as small but have even more firepower.

I couldn't find one.

More disturbing I found a whole host of larger ships that had less firepower...I'm talking about Frigates and Destroyers from high tech nations.

The LCS is an abomination.  Want our allies and potential enemies to sit up and take notice?  Dump the LCS and build Sa'ar 5 with US weapons.

Sidenote:  Check out this weapons load for a 1000 ton ship....via Wikipedia...

Armament:

8 RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles 64 Barak 1 surface-to-air missiles As of August 2013 being replaced by Barak 8 surface-to-air missiles[1] Phalanx CIWS 6 Mark 32 torpedo tubes(Mark 46 torpedoes)

Legacy

Israeli Defense Force Tank Brigade 7....

Jeannette Haynie on MidRats.

I have not been a listener to MidRats and after checking out this episode I've listened to my last episode.

Haynie, the gender warrior from hell, had another love fest without being challenged by the hosts.

One particular story she told has me punching walls.  I'll paraphrase....

She went with her HMLA unit to Iraq and Kuwait.  She wanted to be near her squadron mates while in country and thought it important to unit cohesion etc...Supposedly this caused a big stir that she refused to go into and the hosts didn't press her on.  Zooming forward, she explains that while in Kuwait she stayed with other females but in Iraq she stayed with the guys (she was the only female pilot in the squadron).  How did they handle it?  If a guy was getting dressed or whatever he would shout out dropping trow.  Other times he would yell out "Haynie look here" and she stated that was the same as telling her not to look because she definitely didn't want to see that.

Why does that have me pissed?

Because the practice that she is so proud of would jeopardize every male Marine in that living area.  Spread that to every other mixed gender unit and one misunderstanding in that environment would lead to sexual harassment charges. 

Eagle One (blogger at USNI) is sharp enough to have easily clued in on the absurdity of what she was so proud of but he didn't.

You can listen to the episode here.  Warning.  I couldn't make it thru the second interviewee...when she started talking about women sending breastmilk back home from deployment I was done....just like I am with MidRats.

China begins its colonization of Africa...

via Yahoo News...

Nairobi (AFP) - China on Sunday signed a deal to build a $3.8 billion rail link between Kenya's Indian Ocean port of Mombasa and Nairobi, the first stage of a line that will eventually link Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.
Under the terms of the agreement, Exim Bank of China will provide 90 percent of the cost to replace the crumbling British colonial-era line with a 609.3 kilometre (379 mile) standard-gauge link and Kenya the remaining 10 percent.
Construction is due to start in October and take three-and-a-half years to complete, with China Communications Construction Co. as the main contractor.
Once the Mombasa-Nairobi line is completed, construction would begin to link east Africa's largest economy with Kampala, Kigali, Bujumbura and Juba.
The deal was signed at State House in Nairobi and witnessed by presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Salva Kiir of South Sudan.

We play checkers while China plays chess.

Consider...China is building an alternative to the Panama Canal in Nicaragua.  Now this.

How the US got tagged with conducting the "America, World Police" scheme or hopping on every social bandwagon is beyond me.

China is doing what we once did.

The sooner America's military gets out of the diplomacy game, the sooner the State Department can get their act together and start challenging these frankly brilliant moves by the Red Dragon.  Hope is not high however.

Sidenote:  For the internationalist that say we have a responsibility to the helpless or to protect our interests I say this.  The world is in chaos and always will be.  Accept reality and then you can determine real cost benefits to certain actions!

400 US Mercenaries in Ukraine?

via Russia Times.

About 400 elite mercenaries from the notorious US private security firm Academi (formerly Blackwater) are taking part in the Ukrainian military operation against anti-government protesters in southeastern regions of the country, German media reports.
The Bild am Sonntag newspaper, citing a source in intelligence circles, wrote Sunday that Academi employees are involved in the Kiev military crackdown on pro-autonomy activists in near the town of Slavyansk, in the Donetsk region.
On April 29, German Intelligence Service (BND) informed Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government about the mercenaries’ participation in the operation, the paper said, RIA Novosti reported. It is not clear who commands the private military contractors and pays for their services, however.
In March, media reports appeared suggesting that the coup-imposed government in Kiev could have employed up to 300 mercenaries.That was before the new government launched a military operation against anti-Maidan activists, or “terrorists” as Kiev put it, in southeast Ukraine.
At the time, the Russian Foreign Ministry said then that reports claiming Kiev was planning to involve “involve staff from foreign military companies to ‘ensure the rule of law,’” could suggest that it wanted “to suppress civil protests and dissatisfaction.”
In particular, Greystone Limited, which is currently registered in Barbados and is a part of Academi Corporation, is a candidate for such a gendarme role. It is a similar and probably an affiliated structure of the Blackwater private army, whose staff have been accused of cruel and systematic violations of human rights in various trouble spots on many occasions. 

This is the first confirmed whiff of bullshit that I've gotten from the RT and to be honest I'm disappointed.

Contracting is a small world.  If Academi had a contract and were running 400 contractors to Ukraine I would have heard about it.  Its too damn big for half the recently retired Army and Marine Corps to have not heard about it...and for the guys that stayed in shape, still shoot etc...to start sorting gear and looking to make a quick buck.

Trust me.

This is pure dee bullshit.