Did the President signal that Israel is considering an attack on Iran?

Ok people.  Understand that I'm parsing words and reading tea leaves on this one but consider the following from Jerusalem Online (see the vid here).

Obama was asked about the United States' tense relations with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. He clarified he understood the concerns expressed by Israel, and was committed to ensuring Israel's military advantage in the region. "I am willing to make the kinds of commitments that would give everybody in the neighborhood, including Iran, a clarity that if Israel were to be attacked by any state that we would stand by them," Obama stated.
"What you might hear from Prime Minister Netanyahu, which I respect, is the notion: 'Israel is more vulnerable, we don’t have the luxury of testing these propositions the way you do'. I completely understand Israel's belief that given the tragic history of the Jewish people, they can't be depended solely on us for their own security."

The statement is obvious, but in the whole time that we've seen the feud between the Israeli Prime Minister and Obama, we've never heard him verbalize this truth before.

...They can't be depended solely on us for their own security....

That's pretty stark language.  I wonder if US intel is getting rumblings about Israel prepping to strike Iran?

Sea Basing exercise in May...

via Marine Times.

I am pretty excited, and so is the commandant of the Marine Corps," Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert said of the seabasing concept during a round-table discussion with Military Times in late March. "This is why I feel really good about Marine Corps/Navy integration. We are going to have an exercise with the JHSV with an MLP and with an ARG, to work out their concept of ship-to-shore, and the connector's piece in the future. We are going to get a really good look at that."
Rotklein said the exercise will be schedule-driven, rather than scenario-based, although details of what would take place during the exercise were still being developed.

Read it here.

A schedule driven rather than scenario based exercise?  I wonder why.  Don't get why they're working out with an ARG either.  MEU's typically...or should I say historically have been able to be self sustaining for 15 days of combat.  That gives time for another MEU to link up or to fly in other forces.  I just don't quite understand the scenario here.

I definitely need to get the briefing slides on this one.

The "new" School of Infantry via Gruntworks...

Northern Marianas...the locals don't want us.

via MVariety.com

AS the United States pivots to Asia and the Pacific, the Northern Marianas will be the fulcrum of this strategy with the establishment of the live-fire ranges and training areas on Tinian and Pagan, as hinted by the newly released draft environmental impact statement.
With the U.S. bent on rebalancing its forces and asserting its presence as a Pacific power, it needs to fill its training gaps in Western Pacific with most deficiencies found here; hence, the proposed establishment of unit-level live-fire ranges and training areas on Tinian and the combined level for Pagan.

Read the story here.

Want to raise your blood pressure?  Read the comments!

Gunny Walgrens' motivation "school circle" before heading into Marjeh...via Charles Mabry YouTube Channel

Isn't this bad ass?  FUCK YOU ALL!  Isn't this bad ass!

Republic of Korea Army, 5th Artillery Brigade's MLRS firing op...

Norwegian school kids kick Marine Infantry ass? via Bayou Man Blog!

NOTE:  If you're not subscribed to Bayou Man then you're missing out.  He covers basically everything and its always a funny, thought provoking read.

via Reddit...

Swarming kids are no goddamn joke, man. So - true story. And yes it's relevant.
In the U.S. Marines, doing a mock war in the Norwegian city of Trondheim with the Dutch, Germans and other allies, training in urban combat. My infantry unit was positioned in a large soccer field next to an elementary school. Keep in mind there was no actual combat, even simulated; it was mostly just practicing maneuvers and tactics. But we still looked out of place with weapons and gear, etc. It's fucking February. In Norway. Cold as balls. Snow up to our knees. Norway obviously has no snow days, so the kids were all in school.
Anyway, so Norway has this most delicious and amazing delicacy, I have no idea what it's called, but it's basically a bacon-wrapped hot dog; we just assumed it was called Candy of the Lord. As Americans we were naturally and instantly addicted. You find them at gas stations, and there just happened to be one on the other side of the school where we were camped. A few of my fellow Marines and I requested permission to go to the gas station and we set out on our way.
We made it to right about where the main entrance of the school was, and the doors opened; school was out. There were only a few kids, probably 6 or 7 years old. Lots of talking and laughing. Gawking at us as we walked by, with our guns and huge ridiculous snow suits. One precocious little bugger made shooting noises at us. We made shooting noises back.
And then someone in my group. I don't know who. God help me I don't know who...
Someone threw a snowball and hit a little girl in the leg.
And those little Norwegian children unleashed hell.
There was a shrill cry in unintelligible Norseman and the doors to the school burst open. School children flooded out like a never-ending flood of something that never ends. Screeching, smiling, sprinting - how the fuck were theysprinting?? - little bastards were slinging snowballs faster than the laws of physics should allow. It was like that movie Elf. If you can imagine riding in a fast car in a snowstorm and sticking your head out the window. Now imagine the snowflakes that are hitting your face are the size of snowballs. We couldn't fucking see. We couldn't run. We could barely breathe. Holy fuck....
We tried to return fire and threw one, maybe two half-packed, shitty snowballs that fell apart in the air, arms flailing like drunk octopi. I am from Texas. We were a unit stationed in North Carolina. We were so outmatched and out of our element, it only made them laugh harder. We were cutoff from our main forces. We tried to perform a flanking maneuver but fuck me they were fast. I think some of them were throwing rocks!
My comrades. I could see them speed waddling in their huge suits back to camp like a fucked up pair of white Teletubbies, under withering fire. Fuck tactics, fuck me, fuck the Candy of the Lord, this was survival! I was the slow one in the group. My snowboots were too big but they were the smallest size they had at Issue goddammit!! My Marines left me behind.
I tried pulling my hood over my head and keeping my head down. No longer content to pelt my defenseless body with ballistic snow, the enemy swarmed me and dragged me down, cackling like a pack of hyenas descending on a wildebeest. I tried to sling them off by spinning. I came out of one of my boots and fell. I began to scream and plead for them to stop but they neither understood nor gave a single Nordic fuck. They literally pinned me down with about five kids on each limb. It was then that I actually thought - oh shit. I'm really in trouble. My snow-mittens were ripped off and flung into trees. They started shoving snow down my suit. Have you ever had anyone drop an ice cube down your shirt?
Well now imagine someone shoveling handfuls of ice cubes down your shirt. It literally shocked the breath out of my body. 
They left me laying like a Family Guy accident victim. Moaning and screaming in the cold. Rifle packed with snow and dirt. Boot buried some-fucking-where. They ran away laughing, jabbering in their crazy language. I lay there trying to figure out just what in the great American fuck had happened.

Chinese Navy/Marines evacuate nationals from Yemen (pics)...

All pics via photo.Sina.com.cn

New Wheeled Bridge Layer & "Engineer" Vehicle? via China Defense Blog. UPDATED!

Note:  The pics below are via China Defense Blog, you can check it out here. Oh and I need one of you China experts to hit me up on my e-mail to give me pointers on how to navigate the Chinese part of the internet.  I've gone through their version of Google and its still a bear to get where you want to go...help please.

What the hell is this structure for?  Increase visibility during clearing ops?

Galvars found this additional photo...

Is anyone noticing how large these vehicles are?  I can't quite put it to scale but just eyeballing it they look a bit larger than the Stryker and almost the size of BAE SuperAV

F-16 design evolution/rationale via Code One Magazine...

Note:  I have to give Lockheed Martin credit.  They're doing one of the best jobs of ANY corporation in maintaining and presenting the history of military aviation to the public.  Nowhere else will you find some of the stuff that they've put out. Pay careful attention to the slides that discuss the rationale for the "Monica" inlet on the F-16.  It kinda puts into focus why Boeing went with the same on the failed (selection wise) X-32.  Also pay attention to the last slide.  Notice the buzzword of the time?  "Man-machine interface"!  Replace that for sensor fusion and we can see a warmed over sales pitch being used by the Pentagon to sell the plane today.

What The Fuck! via US Patriot Tactical's FaceBook Page...

SU-100 in combat in Yemen (2015) via Defense 24...

Your weekend viewing assignment...Who's Afraid of Machiavelli - BBC Documentary

I'm going to re-read this book again.

Machiavelli type thinking rules the day (perhaps it always has and I was too stupid to notice) and it pays to know what the enemy is thinking.

A very nicely done documentary.

NOTE:  If you can't watch it all fast forward to the 43 or so minute mark.  The talk by the British Commander about the book is ....  interesting.

Russian Scouts during training op...via English Russia...

Note:  I think the biggest unseen change in infantry tactics is the desire in some parts to take prisoners.  During my years, we were drilled to "keep a tidy" battlefield.  I won't go into details.  Today it seems like a premium is put on taking prisoners.  The logistics of doing so must be almost unbearable...but the Russians are on the bandwagon...see the entire photo spread here.

Russian ships dock at once secret Norwegian Arctic Base...

Thanks for the link Mike!

via Yahoo News.

Oslo (AFP) - Russian ships docked at what was once a secret Norwegian naval base in the Arctic have prompted concern from the NATO country's former top military leaders, anxious about its resurgent eastern neighbour roaming nearby.
Norway's jagged Arctic coastline has regained its strategic importance since tensions between Russia and NATO members have spiked to levels not seen since the fall of the Soviet Union.
The rocky relations have led some to criticise the shutting down of Olavsvern Naval Base, a massive complex burrowed into a mountain near the northern town of Tromsoe, that has been closed since 2009.
Shuttering it was driven by the then seemingly reduced threat from Moscow and its massive Northern Fleet based on Russia's nearby Kola Peninsula.
"We sold the only base worthy of the name that we had up there. It's pure madness," former vice admiral Einar Skorgen, who commanded Norway's northern forces, told AFP.

Putin is beating our military and civilian leadership in the West with half his brain tied behind his back... 

Damen Amphibious Landing Craft Line Computer Generated Images...

Advanced Fast Landing Craft Utility....Range...550 miles...Speed...30 mph...

Advanced Fast Landing Craft Mechanized...Range...300 miles...Speed....30 mph...

Landing Craft Utility (also known as LCU-1E..in service with several allies)....Speed..11 mph...Range..200 miles...

Landing Craft Personnel (in service with several allies)...Speed...22 mph....Range... 200 miles....

Product Spotlight. Damen Advanced Fast Landing Craft Brochure...

Thanks to Lee for the link!

  Damen Product Sheet Advanced Fast Landing Craft Utility Series by Solomon

Is the J-20 Mighty Dragon simply a "stealthified" Mig 1.44?

Tritron29 made this comment in a previous blog post...

Problem is that the J20 is a barely reworked 1.44 with even less effective engines...Nothing wrong on that since the 1.44 was already an 1980's beast decaying on its own juice.

He then linked to the above pic.  On the left is the Mig 1.44, on the right the J-20.  Below is a pics of the 1.44.

I don't buy it.

If you take any of the planes flying today you could make claims of every one of them taking design cues from each other.

I believe its time to acknowledge the ugly truth.

The Chinese are rapidly advancing.  The source of inspiration is irrelevant.  What we need to focus on is how do we deal with a technologically advanced foe that is more dangerous than the Soviet Union with territorial claims that could start the next major war.

Russian Armor Parade. We get a few more views of new armor...

Major Hat Tip to Defense Blog!



If you take the time to watch the complete video then you get a few more views of the new armor coming online.

That tracked IFV seems to have broken with Russian design history and is going to be larger, better armored (at least is appears) and if I'm not mistaken I saw a swim vane at the front.

The wheeled IFV...well I just don't know.  All wheeled IFVs generally look alike although it does look remarkably like the SUPERAV from certain angles.

When is the unveiling again?

Sidenote:  You do know we're on the cusp of an armor race don't you?  Just like the T-64/T-72 sent shockwaves thru NATO, this new Russian armor will shake the Marine Corps and Army out of its lax attitude with regard to its AFV development.  The Russians are about to do what I couldn't.  Highlight the need for modern armor for our forces.

Y-20 Long Range Strategic Heavy Transportation Aircraft vid...

Is it just me or does it seem like the Chinese Corporations are starting to feel a bit more "confident"?

They're smelling weakness in the West and while they'll never say it out loud, their videos are saying it for them.