The American people are being lied to about the nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Thanks to "NO" for the link!

via MEMRITV.com (transcript, watch the video here)...

The Americans keep saying that first they will sign an agreement with Iran, and that only after confirming that Iran is abiding by the agreement will they lift the sanctions. These fallacies are unacceptable.
Lifting the sanctions is part of the negotiations, not a consequence of them. The people who are involved in this understand the difference full well. This is an American deception. They say: First, we will sign an agreement, then we will examine their conduct, and only then, we will lift the sanctions. It doesn't work this way.
Just as our honorable president and officials said clearly, the sanctions must be lifted without delay when an agreement is reached.

Jesus!

I called the current President the Neville Chamberlain of our time.  If this is correct then I understated things.

We are seeing the stage set for a MAJOR war in the Middle East.  Historians will look back on this generation and will be stunned by the lack of resolve, the arrogance and the ineptitude of current leadership.

What's worse?

You get the leaders you deserve. 

DARPA small ship phase 2 UAV concept pic.

Once again different rounds for the Army and Marines is discussed.

via Military.com

The M855A1 features a steel penetrator on top of a solid copper slug, making it is more dependable than the current M855, Army officials have maintained. It delivers consistent performance at all distances and performed better than the current-issue 7.62mm round against hardened steel targets in testing. It penetrated 3/8s-inch-thick steel at ranges approaching 400 meters, tripling the performance of the M855, Army officials said.
The Corps had planned to field the Army's M855A1 until the program suffered a major setback in August 2009, when testing revealed that some of the bullets did not follow their trajectory or intended flight path.
The earlier design of the M855A1 featured a bismuth-tin slug which proved to be sensitive to heat, prompting Marine officials to stick with the M855 and also the Special Operations Science and Technology round developed by U.S. Special Operations Command instead.
Commonly known as SOST ammo, the bullet isn't environmentally friendly, but it offered the Corps a more effective bullet, Marine officials have said.

I'm going to have to get ahold of the testimony on this one but the Army's position seems indefensible.  They are sacrificing accuracy and maintaining that its an acceptable tradeoff.

That's not good.

Its probably a non-issue though.  The emphasis on infantry skills seems to be a thing of the past.  Adoption of the Army round is probably already in the cards....plus the M855A1 will more easily be declared armor piercing so banning it from public purchase will be easier.

Sidenote:  Lets not forget that Sanchez is a serious anti-gun zealot.  Her questions on this subject ARE part of an agenda.

Polaris set to corner the civilian ATV market.

via Defense News.

WASHINGTON — US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is making a sole-source purchase of 2,000 light tactical all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) from Polaris Industries, according to a Monday announcement.
The contract, to be awarded in June, includes 1,750 of the Medina, Minnesota-based company's four-seat MRZR-4 and 300 of its two-seat MRZR-2.
SOCOM indicated it selected the vehicles because they can be transported inside the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, Boeing MH-47 special operations helicopter and Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low, and that they can be dropped from the air.

Well this seals the deal for Polaris.

They're about to corner the civilian ATV market for two reasons.  A WHOLE BUNCH of buyers of these vehicles are former military...or wish they were, which means that owning the same vehicle that is in use by SOCOM will come with "second kind of cool points" AND!!!! you have a bunch of law enforcement/fire depts/first responders that use these vehicles and they're going to glob onto what SOCOM is using too.

This is a bigger win than many outside of the ATV community realize.

Russia set to have the dominant fighter on the planet?

via Fiscal Times.

The T-50 is significantly faster than the F-22, and has a huge advantage in terms of range – 5,500 kilometers compared to the F-22’s 3,400. The T-50’s detection systems allow it to spot incoming threats at a distance of up to 400 kilometers, compared to the F-22’s 210 km.
Most experts believe that the F-35 would be the dominant plane, should it ever come on line in the form its supporters have promised. But a continuous delay in production leaves Russia with the most dominant fighter jet on the planet.

To take a term from a fellow blogger...DISCUSS!

Blast from the past...Saunders-Roe SR.177

Avro Arrow - Bourdeau Industries (Official) posted this vid with the caption..."the more things change, the more they stay the same"....the vid is informative. Check it out.

Armata Main Battle Tank sneak preview.

Thanks to Russell 2878

The above photos are from Military Photos.net.  They're supposedly of the Armata Main Battle Tank and just this sneak peek tells me that we're looking at a different kind of beast.

I'm looking forward to the Russians taking the wraps off this monster!

USMC's unfunded requirements...

via Bloomberg.

(Bloomberg) — Marine Corps has ~$2.1b in requirements not funded in FY16 Pentagon budget request, according to list sent by Commandant of the Marine Corps to lawmakers.

• High among needs is $1.05b for 6 more Lockheed F-35 Joint Strike Fighters; $24.5m for 3 Bell H-1 helicopters; $180m for 2 Lockheed KC-130J aircraft

• So-called unfunded requirements list requested by leaders of congressional defense cmtes

• Other military services also expected to send in their needs as Congress starts writing FY16 defense bills

• NOTE: FY16 budget requests funding for 9 F-35B Marine models 

Glock 43. The debate between it and my G26.

I'm really intrigued by the G43 and a single stack in the South especially in the summer seems like a no brainer.

The problem?

I've been following news reports of attacks on everyday people and maybe its just me being paranoid but it always seems like you're looking at a minimum of two attackers.

Six rounds won't cut it against multiple attackers.  I practice triple taps and if I am violently assaulted, I will leave a tidy battlefield.  That means more than six rounds is required.  The advantage that the G43 brings is that it appears to be so compact that carry becomes less of a chore.

We'll see.  I definitely have to make it to the range to test fire one and see how it compares to my old standby...the G26.  Oh and if you've laid hands on one, how did you like?

United States Freedom Fighters of the East (USAFFE) declare war on China?

via Rizalavenue.

Elly Pamatong,a lawyer and a failed presidential bet has led the “declaration of war” on China by leading the blood compact with his “generals” of his United States Freedom Fighters of the East (USAFFE) followers on Saturday.
Signing the “declaration of war” with their blood were Pamatong and Generals Julito Macua, Gilbert Gumboc, Aquim Galaroza and Cris Jacosalem, Rev. Vicente Aquino and Salvador Reyes.
The lawyer and USAFFE burned the Chinese flags and chanted slogans calling for the downfall of China and the reclamation of Philippine-claimed islands in the Spratlys.
Pamatong claimed USAFFE would mobilize its 200,000 forces to recover some 150 islands occupied by China, but added they have to "prepare first." The lawyer admitted they have no equipment yet to do the mission. However, he is confident the Philippine government will support them.

I told you that the Pacific is far more confusing than what we're facing in the Middle East and I present this as proof.

I never heard of USAFFE before but its some type of right wing Philippine group that might cause trouble between China and their nation.

Another player in a dangerous situation.

A nationalist party that probably has the sympathy of Philippine generals.

Yeah.  The Pacific is gonna be fun.

Tannerite on the chopping block. Congrats YouTube gun idiots..

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Read the story here, but the video is self explanatory.

I've been warning about making gun "tribal knowledge" freely available on the internet.  I've bitched about idiots in the gun community misusing this product to make bombs to destroy old barns, IEDs to wreck trucks and then posting videos of the lunacy on the internet.

Now its about to come back and bite.

The problem?

I'm gonna have a tough time saying that the gun grabbers are going too far.  The ability for any idiot in society to get ahold of this stuff is too big a danger to ignore.  We saw what one crockpot "bomb" could do at a Marathon in Boston.  Imagine what would happen if some terrorist scum decided to pack in 50 pounds of this stuff into a mega church in America's heartland?

This stuff is gonna get banned and people in our community are to blame.

Sidenote:  I can already hear the push back.  Guns and cars are as dangerous as Tannerite and they shouldn't be banned just because a few people have posted stupid stuff using them, so why should we ban Tannerite.   Valid.  But its really simple.  A binary explosive is different from a firearm.  Don't blame me.  I predicted over a year ago that this would happen and this is just the end game to a concern that the FBI posted about 5 years ago.  Put the blame where it belongs.  Immature idiots on YouTube that do stupid stuff with training aids, not the messenger.

Eagle Resolve 2015. A bone tossed to the Saudi's to prevent a freakout over Iran deal.

via Washington Free Beacon.

Some 3,000 U.S. military personnel, including American “air, land, sea, and special operations components,” have moved into the Persian Gulf region for a military exercise that coincides with the finalization of a nuclear agreement with Iran aimed at containing its nuclear arms program, according to officials from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
The exercise, known as Eagle Resolve, has been taking place in Kuwaiti waters since March 8 and will run through the end of the month, when the United States is expected to announce a tentative framework agreement with Iran that is to serve as the final step toward a nuclear agreement.

I've been finding the whole debate in Washington about the Iran nuke deal to be curious.  Everyone is focusing on Israel, the US, our relationship and the Republicans reaction to what many see as a bad deal coming down the pike.
Saudi Arabia's reaction...and that of the other Gulf States are being ignored.  The sad reality?  President Obama is the Neville Chamberlain of our time.  Peace at any price has never worked.

We should seek by all means in our power to avoid war, by analysing possible causes, by trying to remove them, by discussion in a spirit of collaboration and good will.Neville Chamberlain

But you're asking.  What does that have to do with this exercise?  I believe its a bone being tossed to Saudi Arabia.  The Pentagon is trying to demonstrate that it has the power to attack Iran if things turn bad.

They're seeking to chill the Kingdom out.

It won't work.

Within 10 years you're going to see nation state armies going to war in the region.  You heard it here first....oh...and Iran will have nuclear weapons. 

Kurganets-25 tracked armored vehicle

Defense Blog is reporting that the above pic is the first showing of the new Russian tracked armored infantry fighting vehicle, the Kurganets-25.

Read it and weep Marines.

Not only are the Chinese rapidly modernizing their armor but so are the Russians (their new tank is also being displayed...under a tarp).

When the next major war hits...and there will be a major war within our lifetimes...our enemies will have better armor than we do.

We better hope that the airpower enthusiast are right.  If they're wrong....and I believe they are (to include the airpower zealots in the Marine Corps) then you will see body bags filled because of the hubris of people that dealt in theory/hope instead of the reality of the battlefield.

Information graphic produced by the U.S. Navy about personal social media responsibility.

24th MEU should be in charge of Marine Corps advertising!

Now that is the Marine Corps!

The latest ad...walls are barriers that separate, segregate...we've seen walls before they always fall?

This simple statement from the 24th MEU sings!  That's more like it!

I wonder how long before the political wing of the Marine Corps deems unit statements like this hostile?  Corporation rules for a warfighting organization! 

How did we go from this...which isn't the most "hardcore" commercial the Corps has produced....



To this?  A virtual call for women in combat instead of a desire to protect the nation?  And yes I'm repeating myself...that statement by the narrator...we've seen walls before and they always come down is the most obvious part of this vid.  It has absolutely nothing to do with the Marine Corps and everything to do with the President's agenda.

Myanmar sending armor to the Chinese border.

Read about it on the Pakistan Defense Forum here.

I wonder how the Chinese will react to this development?

Still no US response to the Super Cyclone Pam disaster.

Thanks to Lee for the graphic.

I find this interesting...and stunning.

The island chain was devastated by Super Cyclone Pam and while our allies...even the French and UK...are responding, all we've heard is that a Marine General (forgot which one), notified Marines on Okinawa to be ready for deployment.

If you want an example of the US retreating from the world stage, then this is your huckleberry.

Perhaps we'll hear of an announcement this week that Marines are headed to help.  Leading from behind has consequences...both in warfare and in HA/DR ops.

70th Anniversary for the Battle of Iwo Jima...

  Closing in-Marines in the Seizure of Iwo Jima PCN 19000313100

Surviving Veterans of the Battle of Iwo Jima gathered this past weekend to remember the sacrifice that so many made to win that piece of real estate in the Pacific.

The Japanese put on a fabulous showing for the event and from what I've seen in news coverage of the Veteran's reactions it was appreciated by all.

Fast forward to today's Marine Corps.  This is a touchstone battle that best exemplifies all that the Marine Corps stands for, what we expect of Marines in battle and is part of the foundation that has guaranteed the Corps' survival.

The Marine Corps will never forget the Battle of Iwo Jima.  Let's hope the nation doesn't either.

F-35 Supporters! Step up and defend your plane...

Thanks to Sven for the doc...

  F-35_DOT&E_20150312

This is your chance F-35 supporters!  I will not comment, just monitor this thread.  Defend your plane if you can.  Refute the research found in the document above and tell us how/why they're wrong.  F-16.Net people, I'm talking to you!

Australian animals. Either trying to kill you or disgusting...meet the Blobfish.

Thanks to Mr_Speck for the info.

Australia.  Its a good thing the women are attractive or else I would be lobbying for the entire continent to be nuked from orbit.

Either the animals are trying to kill you or they're so freaking disgusting looking that you would shoot them on site to put them out of their mystery...which brings me to the Blobfish.  I mean seriously!  How did that thing even come to be?  I guess God really does have a sense of humor.