The Stryker vs. M-113 debate continues...

American Mercenary adds more fuel to the fire with his latest on the Stryker vs. M-113 debate.  No spoilers.  Read it here.

Leopard 3 to enter development?

via Resboiu.ro

German Parliament approved a proposal to develop a new generation of tanks, program will be included in the medium-term planning of the German Ministry of Defense.
The decision comes amid tense of "Ukrainian crisis" situation where the number of Leopard 2A6 tanks 225/7 that the Bundeswehr aims to maintain operational would become suddenly rather inadequate.
The explanatory memorandum of document speaks of great importance that the armored units have German Army, they must be supported in the future by equipping a new generation of tanks, especially since the German military industry would be able to deliver such of product.
Development of the new tank could be the subject of cooperation between France and Germany, followed sometime around March 2030 Leopard becomes operational.

First make sure you check out Resboiu's website.  Interesting stuff. This catches me off guard.  The German Army just received its first Leopard 2A7's and they're already off and running for a new MBT.  Great planning.  The partnership with France gives me pause.  I've seen articles stating that the French are on the verge of giving the go-ahead for an updated LeClerc MBT and even if they give the go ahead to merge industries I don't see them going for the German practice of a heavy, yet mobile vehicle.

The French emphasize expeditionary type forces too much for a partnership to be practical.  Still this bears watching.  If nothing else it will give us a clue into Western Europe thinking on the direction of future armored vehicles.

9th Infantry Division (Motorized). The "original" Stryker Brigade?

N0truescotsman made a comment on a post by American Mercenary (read it here) with regard to the Stryker Brigades that I just had to respond to.

US Army Stryker Brigades are not (in my opinion) motorized infantry as designated by the US military.  I present as an example the 9th Infantry Division (Motorized) that was thoroughly tested during the 1980s.

The goal was to give light infantry forces tactical mobility that would allow them to easily defeat other light infantry, enough firepower to engage mechanized forces (using maneuver) successfully until heavy armor could arrive, while at the same time retaining the strategic mobility that is the hallmark of all light infantry.

The unit was stationed at Ft Lewis in the CRAZY state of Washington (only place in the world that has forests, jungle (you can call it rain forests...its a freaking jungle) and a gosh darn (no profanity...its Christmas) desert within a couple hundred miles of the beach.

The unit road in the dune buggies that the Navy SEALs and Force Recon later made famous in Gulf War 1 until switching over to HMMWVs later.

Much to the Army's credit, the concept was thoroughly tested and found wanting.  Even semi-competent opponents (looking at you NTC) were able to demonstrate the vulnerability of the unit to artillery fires and the inability of the unit to survive combat against a fully mechanized force (if they were forced to stand and fight instead of using hit and run tactics).

Fast forward to today and do a simple TO&E and its readily apparent that the Stryker Brigades are a totally different breed of cat.

By any other forces standards the Stryker Brigades are HEAVY mechanized forces.  Don't let the wheels fool you!  A full strength Stryker Brigade brings a tremendous amount of combat power to the battlefield.  The only thing that keeps it from mirroring an Armored Brigade Combat Team is the lack of tanks.  If the Army ever gets serious about fixing the Mobile Gun System (MGS) my guess is that bean counters will be doing comparisons of the cost of a ABCT vs. SBCT to see which is cheaper to operate....and experiments will be done to see if an enhanced SBCT (if my guess is correct that they're cheaper) could replace the ABCT in a cost savings, not combat effectiveness move (Note: I'm not trying to imply that a SBCT is as combat effective as an ABCT but I'm betting someone will state that an enhanced version is JUST as capable).

So no.  The Stryker Brigades are not re-named Motorized Infantry.  At least not in the traditional sense.

As a sidenote, not even the Russian Motorized units are 'truly' motorized in the traditional sense of the word.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Not happy holidays, but Merry Christmas.  Don't like it?  Deal!  But seriously...take care of yourselves, your loved ones, be thankful for what you have, analyse the year NOW and decide what you did wrong/right, duplicate successes/banish failures....get a jump on the rest of the world by using this celebration as your starting point for the New Year.

Last but not least.

Take some time to think about that LCpl that is far from home for the first time.  Toss one up for our Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Coast Guardsmen serving worldwide.

Sidenote (and a slight bummer but important to know):  Marine Corps "lore" has it that before every big landing, and every holiday, a celebratory meal is served.  The reason?  To enhance morale, create a sense of belonging, increase the feeling of brotherhood and the realization that it may very well be the last meal that the Marine gets to eat...old skool Marines stated that they knew if the expected body count was high based on how elaborate the meals were...steak with all the fixings??? Rough but manageable.  Steak and Lobster?  Write your people and tell them you love them.

Pic of the day....S. Korea pulls into Vladivostok harbour

Image via  Mark Babich Twitter Page.

VBTP-MR gets its first overseas sale.

via Defense News.

Italy's Iveco has signed an agreement to sell 80 military and police vehicles to Lebanon, an Italian industrial source has said.
The deal, worth around 30 million euros, was signed in mid-December and could be followed in the new year by further orders, the source said.
The contract includes 25 Lince vehicles, also known as Light Multipurpose Vehicles vehicles, and five larger, MPV vehicles in troop transport version, as well as 10 6-by-6 VBTP armored vehicles.

Absolutely awesome.

Iveco predicted that they would sell the VBTP-MR to other nations and its bound to be a great seller.  An impressive number of troops can be carried, it has the ability to mount an array of several weapons, it has excellent blast protection and its amphibious.

I expect Iveco to tap into the booming Asian market soon.  We might be seeing the next generation of "Piranha" wheeled APC domination, only this time its called VBTP-MR.

The Rook...next step in police militarization...

Read the Auto Evolution story here.

About that Stryker vs. M-113 thing...

American Mercenary has waded into the Stryker vs. M-113 debate.  A small spoiler...

You also find nostalgic die hards who truly believe that the M113 would actually do better than a Stryker if it just had a bunch of upgrades like rubber band tracks and a hybrid electric drive, additional armor, full digital comms and sensor suite with air conditioning to keep the grunts from riding on the roof. Of course by then the damn thing is so heavy it is no longer amphibious, rubber band tracks wear much quicker, and cross country performance starts to go. TANSTAAFL, every weapon is a set of compromises, the best you can do is pick the ones you want to live with.

Read the whole thing here.

I never thought I would see it but we have the armored vehicle version of the 9mm vs. .45 cal going on.  The debate will rage until a different type of technology is produced that takes the place of both wheels AND tracks.

IDF Patrol taken under fire...1 soldier injured.

via IDF Blog.

Earlier today, December 24, 2014, a sniper opened fire on an IDF routine patrol on the Israeli side of the southern border with Gaza. A soldier from the Bedouin Desert Reconnaissance Battalion was injured in the attack. He suffered a severe chest injury and was evacuated to a hospital for further medical treatment. The soldier’s family has been notified.
In response, IDF air and ground forces targeted Hamas positions in the immediate vicinity of the attack. Israeli farmers have been ordered to evacuate the area for their personal safety until further notice..
“This attack, the second of this week, is a lethal violation of the relative quiet along the Gaza border and is a blatant breach of Israel’s sovereignty,” said IDF Spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner. “The IDF will continue to use all necessary means in order to maintain the safety of the citizens of southern Israel and will not hesitate to respond to any attempt to harm IDF soldiers.”

There are too many hotspots to adequately keep track of them all.  I've had one on the Israeli situation.  The current govt is in turmoil bordering on chaos (this is admittedly an outside view but I base this on the fact that a minister was just arrested on corruption charges and it appears that Netanyahu is having difficulty forming a new ruling coalition).

But the bigger issue is between the IDF and Hamas.

Its been under-reported but we're seeing an increase in these types of incidents.  Its almost a certainty that we're looking at the possibility of another incident that will lead to full scale combat.

BAE wins U.S. Army AMPV contract

via Press Release.

BAE Systems was awarded a contract worth up to $1.2 billion from the U.S. Army for the Engineering, Manufacturing, and Development (EMD) and Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) of the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV).
The program aims to provide the U.S. Army with a highly survivable and mobile fleet of vehicles that addresses a critical need to replace the Vietnam-era M113s.
“This award represents a significant milestone for the U.S. Army and BAE Systems,” said Mark Signorelli, vice president and general manager of Combat Vehicles at BAE Systems. “The AMPV will provide a substantial upgrade over the Army’s current personnel carrier fleet, increasing the service’s survivability, force protection, and mobility while providing for future growth potential. It also confirms BAE Systems’ role as a leading provider of combat vehicles.”
The initial award is for a 52-month base term, valued at approximately $383 million, during which BAE Systems will produce 29 vehicles across each of the variants. The award also provides an option to begin the LRIP phase immediately following the current EMD phase, at which time the company would produce an additional 289 vehicles for a total contract value of $1.2 billion.

This is interesting.

We can debate wheels vs. tracks all day but the fact remains.  One of the worlds biggest users of armored vehicles and perhaps the leading practitioner of land maneuver warfare sees a need for both.

Perhaps thats the answer that no one wants to admit.  You need both.

Sidenote:  Defense News adds this juicy tidbit to the story...

This contract only covers units at the brigade level and below within the ABCT. There are still another 1,922 M113s in use supporting Echelons Above Brigade (EAB) that the service eventually wants to replace.

So there will be a future competition...but what has me spinning is this Echelons Above Brigade?  What the fuck is that?  Is that a new name for Regiment and Division?   Is it some new stand alone combat formation like the USMC's Marine Expeditionary Force?  Geez!  Educate me people!  Asked and answered.  Thanks everyone.

Monster Bug Wars...

If you've never had an experience where you've had to deal with chiggers, fleas, ticks, scorpions, fire ants, spiders (of all types), ground hornets, bees etc...while in the field then you might not appreciate the Science Channel program "Monster Bug Wars".

But if you have, and you're trying to find something decent on TV and otherwise bored out of your mind then you should give the show a look-see.  Spoiler.  They go over the top with the growling between the combatants but its fun and informative.  Some much needed light fare for the holiday season.

Modest Proposal. We can build MEU (Rein +) with Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB) Ships attached.

The Marine Corps has a tremendous opportunity sitting right in front of it IF it has the audacity to act boldly, dump an ill conceived formation and make it the force of choice for Combatant Commanders.

How about we make our MEU's reinforced by attaching an AFSB to the Amphibious Ready Group?

How would we do it?  First we have to dump the SPMAGTF-CR.  Land based Marine units that fly in on MV-22's, supporting units hundreds of miles away and expecting them to be combat capable is a recipe for disaster.

Correcting that mistake will be easy...all it will take is a wave of a pen by the current Commandant.  Acknowledging that the SPMAGTF-CR was not the way to go will be hard.

But the benefits will be tremendous.  We will be floating an extremely powerful combat unit that will handle most low intensity situations with ease.  We're talking about a plus up of maybe 200 infantrymen (I think, not sure how many Marines can be transported on the AFSB or whether extra space is available on the rest of the ARG)...an additional number of MV-22s, CH-53s, AH-1Zs or UH-1Ys...or you could simply keep the number of helos the same, transfer some to the AFSB and plus size your firepower on the big deck amphib by increasing the number of Harriers carried!

The idea needs work but I think it has merit.

Now we know why the USMC and USAF are pushing an early IOC for the F-35.

During peacetime, the US military has never put into service an airplane that has not completed testing.

Quite honestly it violates the spirit, if not the letter of the law.

I've always been curious about the rush.  Until recently I believed that the plane was protected from any real threats of cuts (emphasis on the "until recently")...but War is Boring Blog has filled in the missing info...

The Pentagon has claimed the J-20 could enter squadron service in 2018, seven years after the first prototype began flying. That’s consistent with the F-22’s development and the J-10B’s. And if so, full-scale production will need to begin soon in order for Chengdu’s workers to finish adequate numbers of J-20s to line the tarmac a little over three years from now.

Yeah.

That's the kick in the teeth that the Pentagon cannot allow the uninformed to catch onto.  If you're following the program office account of when the F-35 is due to finish flight testing (assuming no more delays...which is highly probable) then the J-20 will complete flight testing and enter REAL frontline service a full year before the F-35.

This also gives clues to the US Navy's strategy.  They're extending EA-18G production till 2018...which means that they will get a two-fer.  They'll get to keep buying Growlers and they'll also have a SOLID reason to skip the F-35 and start a crash program to develop a 6th generation fighter.

Chinese infantry battalion heading to Africa.

via China Defense Blog

China sends first infantry battalion for UN peacekeeping
Source:Xinhua Published: 2014-12-22 13:56:14
China's first infantry battalion to South Sudan is set for departure, marking the country's first infantry to participate in a United Nations peacekeeping mission.
A rally was held Monday in the city of Laiyang in east China's Shandong Province. The dispatch was approved by the Central Military Commission and its chairman Xi Jinping.
Previous Chinese peacekeepers were mainly engineering, transportation, medical service and security guard corps.
The 700-strong infantry battalion included 121 officers and 579 soldiers. Forty-three members have participated in peacekeeping missions before. An infantry squad composed of 13 female soldiers will participate in a peacekeeping mission for the first time.
The first batch of 180 will fly to South Sudan next January, with the rest travelling via air and sea next March.
Commander Wang Zhen said the battalion will be equipped with drones, armored infantry carriers, antitank missiles, mortars, light self-defense weapons, bulletproof uniforms and helmets, among other weapons "completely for self-defense purpose."
As the largest contributor of peacekeepers among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, China has deployed more than 27,000 military personnel around the globe as of September 2014, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
A total of 2,027 Chinese peacekeepers are currently posted in conflict zones.

Ignore the female infantry squad.  That's more an example of China doing a "we did it first" kind of thing rather than an indication of future Chinese military developments.  The female population is too few and highly regarded for this to be anything more than a publicity stunt.

What should catch your attention is what the Chinese are doing here.

They're making the first solid moves toward expanding, militarily, into Africa.  The brilliance of it is that they're doing it under the UN banner.  They will finally be able to test combat tactics, formations, logistics, battlefield medicine, communications and other aspects of the military art in a real world situation.

I would bet that we hear about Chinese units engaging rebels in pitched battles sooner rather than later.  A few of these missions to iron out the kinks and they'll have the final piece of the puzzle to match the US on equal terms.

Combat experience.

NOTE:  Martin replied on Twitter....

I think while the comment has some validity it's a massive leap to then equate to modern mech/all arms warfare

My response is this.  The Chinese have developed land systems that equal or begin to approach the capabilities of everything we have in the West.  Main Battle Tanks?  They have the Type 99G.  IFVs?  They have numerous ones in service that equal every one of our vehicles...and a few specialized airborne and amphibious IFVs that are by some measures superior.  Helicopters?  They have the WZ-10....the list goes on.  The only thing they lack is real world combat experience..and they're working on that as we speak.

ISIS plot to blow up bridge in Memphis. UPDATED.

FOX13 News, WHBQ FOX 13


via Fox Memphis.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (FOX13) – -The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Memphis Division is warning police officers about a threat to blow up the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge sometime in December. FOX13 News obtained the FBI bulletin sent to Mid-South Law Enforcement agencies warning about a possible Islamic State terror plot targeting the I-55 Bridge.

"According to an anonymous complainant, as of December 2014, ISIS instructed an ISIS member, a presumed USPER in Memphis, with a direct order to blow up the Memphis-Arkansas bridge on an unknown date, activating ISIS terror cells in the United States," the warning reads.

USPER is a law enforcement acronym for U.S. person.

Its been my experience that the FBI does not issue local (or international warnings) unless the threat is deemed credible.

Consider this a "be advised" notification.

UPDATED:  A reliable and extremely credible source has relayed to me that the FBI has been scouring the Memphis area chasing down info on this threat.  Cards have been issued to even river boat operators to call if they observe anything, and I mean anything...no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, to the FBI immediately.  The talk on the video about this really being nothing is not borne out by the resources that have flowed to the area.

F-35 News. Death spiral gains speed. "USMC cuts number of F-35C's.

Major hat tip to ELP Blog.

via ELP

So, the change from 2011 is an increase in 17 F-35Bs and a decrease in 17 F-35Cs.
I suspect that with DOD budget cuts, the USMC figured one U.S. aircraft carrier was going away and thus wanted to get as many F-35Bs as they could for their fantasy.

Read the entire story here.

So the USMC is cutting the number of F-35C's they're buying.  We all know what that means.  It means that the "C" version will cost even more.  We also know that the US Navy is not enthused about the plane...which means that we could well see the F-35C canceled outright.

Crystal Ball time.

If the "C" is canned and the USMC is forced to buy the Super Hornet to gain compatibility with the Navy for the carrier mission, then how safe is the rest of the program?

Not safe at all.

Think about the economics.  The US dollar is gaining even more strength against the Euro and other currencies.  What was already an expensive plane is becoming even more expensive as governments wait to see if a production ramp up can lower cost.

The Joint Program Office is running into a perfect storm.  Economic conditions are making export harder, while the US budget along with issues in development are causing the long anticipated ramp up impossible.

Too big to fail?  How about too big to succeed.

In Powerpoint all projects can be made to look simple, in reality the situation is much more complex. Failure to see those complexities leads to the underestimation of schedule and budget, plus a host of other ailments...via Why Do Projects Fail?

An unpopular Commander-in-Chief UPDATED.

Cdr Salamander found the below video.  The differences between the reception of President Bush (a man that the left hates to this very day) and President Obama are striking.

Popularity is not an indicator of good leadership.  School houses across the Marine Corps teach (or taught) that a leader should not seek to be "popular" with his men but should be fair, lead by example, emphasize mission accomplishment and stress accountability.  It was said that if you were able to check those boxes that you would be a good leader/effective commander....but not necessarily popular.

Having said all that I've sensed the rising frustration within the ranks and have been predicting a recruiting/retention crisis for awhile now.  The root of the issue is the "culture change" that the current President is pushing.  I also believe that its part of the reason why Amos was held in such low regard.  He was seen as an ally in the mission to fundamentally change the Corps.

Whatever the truth, read the whole story here.

SIDENOTE:  When reading a Marine Corps Times article always check the byline.  How it happened I don't know but they've employed several writers/reporters that have a societal change leaning to their writing and are more enthused about fashion, social trending news and gossip than they are about military matters....all with an extremely liberal view.

U.S.-China Economic and Security Review

  U.S.-China Economic and Security Review

HQMC Current Operations Brief pdf (25 Apr 2014).

Pay careful attention to page 7.  It seems that HQMC is taking baby steps toward the Navy's position of "rolling back" enemy defenses to conduct amphibious assaults.  Power Projection (a euphemism for the dreaded 101st Airborne/Heliborne MV-22 Marine Corps) from 65+nm out remains BUT discussions on launching from 12-25nm using ACVs is discussed.  The dream of "ship to shore" connectors with launch distances of 30-50nm remains though.

  MGenPadillaNMCCBrief25APR

Bonus info below...USMC Future Force Posture 2014-2020...

2_Love

Chinese expansion into the Americas continues. Canal to break ground today.

via Yahoo News.

Last year, Ortega's allies in Congress fast-tracked legislation granting HKND a 50-year concession, renewable for another 50, to build and operate a canal in return for a payment of $10 million a year once it's up and running. The law lets HKND develop ancillary projects — ports, an airport, roads, a railway — even if it doesn't get built.
HKND hired the respected U.K.-based consulting firm Environmental Resources Management about a year ago to assess the environmental and social impact of a project that is expected to displace some 29,000 people. In late July, just two weeks after HKND announced its preferred route for the canal, ERM held community meetings in seven cities over 10 days, according to a document on HKND's website.

Read the whole story here.

Be advised.  The Chinese will have a foothold in Central and S. America that will require the US to establish bases and forces to counter it.  And don't be deceived.  They will build sea and air ports.

The Chinese govt just moved into our neighborhood and no one is paying attention.

HDND's website is here.