Police/Govt cover up in Baltimore?

Interesting.

Just heard news that the report on how Freddie Gray was killed by police won't be released on Friday.  Instead its going to go to the District Attorney's office.

Bad move.

If you've been keeping up on the social media on this thing then you know that many suspect a Police/Govt cover up.  What should chill the bones of everyone is that an African American female heads the local govt.

And yet the tension continues to build...a Democrat mayor in a Democrat city which is headed by an African American female is not trusted.

We haven't seen anything yet.  Baltimore is gonna burn this weekend, and its gonna be a sight to behold.

Finland is gearing up for war. Reservist told duty assignments now...

Many thanks to Potaasi for the link!

via yle.fi

A mail-out to 900,000 former conscripts in Finland began being publicised on Monday, with a TV announcement reminding reservists that "conscription is the cornerstone of Finland's defence capability". The defence minister denied that the move has any link to worsening relations with Russia.

Finland’s armed forces began broadcasting an announcement on Yle television from Monday, telling the nation’s reservists that “We want to have a word with you,” and reminding them that “conscription is the cornerstone of Finland’s defence capability.”
The ad accompanies a mass mail-out campaign, in which a letter will be sent to each of Finland’s 900,000 reservists next month, informing them which post they would be given in a crisis situation. The letter also asks them to send in up-to-date details of their whereabouts.
Earlier this month Defence Minister Carl Haglund denied that the campaign has anything to do with the country’s worsening relations with Russia, nor with the crisis in Ukraine.
“Many reservists are interested to know which role they would have, and they’re motivated to be a part of this country’s defence work. Therefore it’s good that we can give them regular information about what’s planned for them,” he said.

This is interesting (read it all here).

Finland is actually gearing up for war.  To put out public broadcasts and mailings to almost a million men....to have already planned where those men would muster in case of national emergency...to have a data base established to keep track of their current addresses, contact information etc....

For all the calm being shown by EU leaders for the news cameras, their actions are showing us something different.

They're serious and they're getting ready.

The madness in Baltimore will flare again Friday.

You think that just because today looks relatively calm that the issues in Baltimore are over?

Hardly!

The mayor, a person that I think is in over her head, says that information about the cause of the young man's death will be released then.  Why Friday?  My guess is because school will be out.  It gives them enough time to get the National Guard into town.  It allows business to "fortify" there buildings and finally because with slack weekend coverage the media will be focused on the riots (I'm betting on more riots) instead of what I believe will be seen as manslaughter by police.

We'll see what happens.

She's being hailed as mom of the year but many would consider this child abuse...

Isn't it funny how twisted our society is?

This mom is being hailed as the "mom of the year" but many would consider this child abuse at worst or domestic violence!  Additionally I wonder how people would react if a father had done the same thing in the same way?(football fans...now do you understand the lack of outrage at Adrian Peterson!)

Our society is morally jacked up. Situational ethics is no way to live...either as a person or a nation.

Are you a fan of Green Tips? Re-think your drink!

The photo above and the passage below are from TacBlog.

clean 5.56 wound in a patients calf. One thing many people don’t talk about is the lack of traumatic damage the round inflicts on targets. This is something many have noted returning from combat and something I personally witnessed from a patient who had a range mishap. Even shot placement in critical areas doesn’t cause enough trauma to put someone down right away. Anyone who has been deployed can attest to the round’s lack of immediate stopping power, often witnessing targets getting hit and still able to maneuver to cover and return fire before succumbing to wounds later.

The benefit of being a civilian is the ability to use Barnes 36 grain Varmint Grenade and Nosler’s 55 grain Varmageddon.
Yeah it depends on on the bullet, it can ice pick or frag like a grenade. M855 is a round designed for a different era. I’ve see wounds from m193 that are catastrophic.

If all our enemies...heck even if most of them were equipped with body armor the way that we are then the M855 is a no brainer.

But they aren't.

I need to chew on this one a bit.  Use a light, extremely fast bullet or one that can punch through car doors without drama?  I just don't know.

8 new US military bases in the Philippines?

via Press TV

American forces will gain access to at least eight military bases in the Philippines following a new bilateral agreement, reports say.
The eight bases would give the US military the most access since it evacuated forces from its Philippine bases in 1990s.
Philippine Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gregorio Catapang told Manila’s ABS-CBN News on Monday that the bases, which will not necessarily be limited to eight, were specified during an October meeting with the commander of the US Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Locklear.

Read the entire thing here.

I'm a bit leery of 8 bases in the Philippines.  First it doesn't answer the question of our forces being out of reach of Chinese attack.  But the bigger issue is why so many?  I suspect we're about to get neck deep in the counter insurgency fight that the Filipino's are involved in.

You think those boy loving bastards in the Middle East are tough?  Wait till you get a load of these sons of bitches! 

Quite honestly I don't think US infantry...Army and Marine Corps...is ready for the jungle fight I believe they're getting lined up for.  If I'm right, this will be nasty.

FNSS is teasing a "new era" in armored vehicles...

via FNSS website.

FNSS Savunma Sistemleri A.Ş, the leading land combat systems company and export champion of Turkish Defence Industry is participating IDEF’15 which will be held between 5 - 8 May 2015 in Tüyap Fair and Convention Centre, Büyükçekmece – İstanbul,Turkey.
FNSS will exhibit its existing products as well as the new products which start will start a new era for Armoured Combat Vehicles during IDEF’15 exhibition at Hall 7.

Interesting.  FNSS had fallen off my radar screen but this announcement has me intrigued.  I guess I'll have to wait till May 5th to find out what they've got up their sleeve.

More Freccia IFV's for the Italian Military. via Defense Technology Magazine.

Interesting.

The Italians are making a bet that the heaviest wheeled IFV in service, is the right choice for their armed forces.  Additionally they've done the thing I've harped on and developed a family of vehicles based off it (I wonder why DT didn't include the Centauro in this list).  What info do they have that makes this the best vehicle for their services?

I could easily be mistaken but it appears that the Italians are slowly evolving to an all wheeled armor force.

CV90 with Active Suspension is going to be the fastest armored vehicle over rough terrain in the world.

via Endgadget.

Unlike conventional, passive suspensions that simply absorb the shock of a bump or divot in the road as it occurs, active suspensions calculate vehicle speed against upcoming terrain to selectively tighten the suspension and keep the vehicle level. This eliminates both body roll and pitch acceleration as well as translates into a higher top speed since all four wheels (or in this case, both tracks) stay in firm contact with the ground. It works well enough for the CV90 to set a speed record on a "rough terrain course",

Go here to read the entire story.   Interesting isn't it.  Just when wheeled vehicles finally "catch up" to tracked when it comes to cross country mobility, we find out that tracked roars back and takes back the crown.

F-35 News. IOC this year? Not likely!

via Bloomberg

As of late December, engines on the Marine Corps’ complex version of the F-35, designed for short takeoffs and vertical landings, flew about 47 hours between failures caused by engine design issues instead of the 90 hours planned for this point, according to GAO officials. Air Force and Navy model engines flew about 25 hours between failures instead of the 120 hours planned.

If that isn't bad enough then check this out from the same article.

F-35 engines from United Technologies Corp. are proving so unreliable that U.S. plans to increase production of the fighter jet may be slowed, according to congressional auditors.

Where ya at F-35 fanboys?

Your beloved airplane has fallen and it doesn't appear that it can get back up.....Oh and as far as that USMC IOC this year?  Not likely!  Not if they keep their word and do an assessment that the airplane meets requirements before its put into service.

The debate about Police MRAPS is over...

Well you can scratch this debate off your list.

It is now a given that law enforcement needs MRAPS and they're just not toys.  As a matter of fact, if I'm not mistaken we're seeing an escalation in the violence with regard to riots.  Sooner or later those rocks are going to be replaced with small arms fire.

Yeah.

Not even the most bleeding heart liberal or staunch libertarian can deny the fact that LEO's need these beasts.

Oh and consider this.  We're seeing these outbreaks of violence over (in this case) a slow release of information from the Mayor's office (she appears unable to properly deal with this situation...any dream of higher office is dead)...what happens if a brownout along the eastern seaboard hits?  What happens if truckers go on strike in our just in time food delivery system?  The next freak hurricane that goes up the east coast instead of hitting the gulf?

If you live in a big city in the eastern corridor, you're freaking nuts!

The elite are fiddling while the country burns...

Did you take the time to check out the above vid?  Did you know that Baltimore basically descended into chaos last nite?  Did you know that instead of covering the breaking news the networks (all of them ... including Fox) decided to talk about "nerd prom"/White House Correspondents Dinner?

Make no mistake about it.

If you weren't at or invited to that celebration then you're just another one of the unwashed masses.

Oh and what did you miss?  How about a credible ISIS threat inside the US that has local law enforcement agencies in that state on heightened alert...read about this looming cluster here.

Vitaly Kuzmin's Blog has different views on the new Russian armor...

Note:  If you're not visiting Vitaly Kuzmin's blog on a daily basis then you're missing out.  Good stuff and I've only focused on the armor.  He also covers small arms and obscure Russian units.  Check him out here.

German MBT rounds ineffective against Russian modern armor????

via Tank & AFV Blog.

A recent article in German newspaper Die Welt makes the claim that German tungsten based APFSDS 120mm ammunition is ineffective against the armor of Russian T90 MBTs. The author of the article, Han Ruhle, was the Chief of Policy Planning Staff in the German Department of Defense 1982-1988. He lays the blame for the lack of effective depleted uranium APFSDS round in the German inventory at the feet of German environmentalists and anti-nuclear activists.

Go here to read the entire article.

And so it begins!

I TOLD YOU THAT THE NEW RUSSIAN ARMOR WOULD START AN "AFV" RACE and now you see it!

First the 2nd ACR wants bigger guns, now we hear that German rounds are ineffective against current much less projected Russian armor?  Note that this is what we're hearing in the clear.  What's being said behind closed doors might be even more stark.  Understand that the CIA, DIA, MI-6 and everyother intelligence service in the West is pumping assets to see whatever they can about the new Russian gear as we speak.

I'd bet body parts that tentative assessments have already been made and the bad news has been passed to leadership.

What should you look for?

Expect improvements in the entire anti-tank inventory.  Upgrading main caliber weapons will be a given (I don't think the plan of sticking to a 50 cal for the ACV will work now...they're almost gonna have to bump it up to a 30mm out of the box...at the very least).

Oh.  And talk of shelving the A-10 is about to take another big hit. The USAF was in a rush and now we know why.  You can't retire the ultimate tank killer if tanks are back in vogue.

Sidenote:  I AM NOT ALL OVER THE MAP ON THE STRYKER UPGRADE.  I still believe its the wrong move in the way that they Stryker Brigade concept calls for the vehicles to be used.  In conventional combat against other armored forces you would see a Heavy Tank Brigade take the lead.  That's why I think an armored task force needs to replace the 2nd ACR in Europe...to include attached attack helicopters and dedicated regimental artillery.  That would be a deterrent!  Upgunning the Stryker will allow them to engage enemy armor but would be violating the doctrine that they operate under!  For the USMC its different.  ACVs will be part of the initial landings and push to objective.  The chances of them running into enemy armor and the need for them to be able to defeat that armor is extreme.  I want an APC, but we need an IFV.

Upgunning the Stryker? I smell budget games!

via Fox News.

The 2nd Cavalry Regiment is requesting that 81 of its 8-wheel-drive Stryker infantry carrier vehicles be equipped with 30-mm. automatic cannons -- double the caliber of the 12.7-mm. guns they already carry, the military news website Breaking Defense reports.
The House Armed Services committee is already setting aside money for the upgrade, which the Army approved Wednesday, according to a memo obtained by the website.
The upgraded cannons would give the Strykers added firepower against other light-armored vehicles.
The 2nd Cavalry Regiment, based in Vilseck, Germany, had been deployed to the Baltic States to deter aggression following Russia’s seizure of Ukraine’s Crimea region, Breaking Defense reports.

So let me get this straight.

Troops with the 2nd ACR say that they need to upgun their Strykers due to the threat of current Russian vehicles.

The House Armed Services Committee already has set aside money and Big Army already approved?

Government doesn't work that fast.  Its no where near that efficient.  This shit was baked in the cake.  This is going to come out of "wartime contingency funds" which makes this whole thing bullshit! 

2nd ACR continues training in Romania.

Note:  Is it just me or does Romania look like perfect tank country?

Let's talk about the Army effort to "upgun" the Stryker.

We've been talking about the idea of "outgunning" the 2nd ACR's Strykers with a 30mm gun.  Everyone seems sold on the Kongsberg system and while I like it, I think we're missing the bigger issue.



The issue isn't about turning the Stryker...an APC...into an IFV.  No, the issue is why is this having to be discussed in the first place.

The answer is simple.  The Mobile Gun System doesn't work and Army leadership chose not to fix it.

IF the MGS worked and IF it was fielded in the numbers planned then we wouldn't be hearing about an upgunned Stryker.

Oh and as a sidenote.  Is it just me or did we suddenly hear about how the Stryker needed a 30mm cannon shortly after the 2nd ACR visited Polish troops who were driving Wolverines with that system mounted?

Question.  Is this a backdoor attempt by the Army to get not only upgrades on the Stryker but also the Bradley's?  Its hard to imagine one unit in Europe with upgraded guns and not the entire Stryker fleet.  Additionally its difficult to see the Stryker sporting a bigger and newer gun while the Bradley struggles on with its 25mm cannon.

Glock 43 mag catching issues.

Thanks to Tony for the info.

Have you been to the Glock and various other gun forums?  One of the issues that has been popping up over and over again is the magazine catching.  Tony tracked down Glock and this is what they told him...

They are saying its a wear in issue and it happens when the pistol is turned to the left. So I tried it. It happens if you are not inserting the mag directly into the frame. There is enough play and the offside mag release is protruding in the mag well so far that the mag is getting caught.

I'm still chewing on the Glock 43.  Tony just got his so I'll wait to see what he thinks after he's fired a few hundred rounds through it.

My main issue is the capacity.  I imagine it'll be perfect for summer carry.....but that's what appendix is for with my G19 and G26 stuffed with 19 mags.  The idea of the wolf finally showing up at the door and running out of rounds during a life and death situation....just because I wanted to be a bit more comfortable chills my bones.

Oh and the idiots run in packs.  Maybe I'm just looking for it but most attacks seem to involve more than one assailant.  You do the math.  The G43 carries 6 rounds.  If you have two attackers you better be perfect or you might lose in the end.

I gotta think a bit more on this one.

Israeli F-35B computer generated image...

Don't get it twisted.  I still think this airplane is RAPING the USMC budget and will do so into the future.  Want to know moral courage?  Being able to say that this plane costs too much, will deliver too little and that its time to walk away.

30mm Cannon for Stryker? Bad Move.

Thanks to Chaos34 for the link!



via Breaking Defense.

The 2nd Cavalry wants the weapons because it’s the Army’s frontline force in Europe. There are only two US combat brigades still based on the continent, the 2nd Cav in Vilseck, Germany and the 173rd Airborne in Vicenza, Italy, a light infantry formation with very few vehicles of any kind and nothing as heavy as a Stryker. The Army has no heavy tank forces permanently stationed in Europe anymore, which the House Armed Services Committee has decried as “short-sighted.”
Since Russia seized Crimea, both the 2nd Cavalry and the 173rd Airborne have deployed to the Baltic States to deter aggression and reassure those small, exposed NATO allies. (The 173rd has even trained some Ukrainian forces). Just a month ago, a 60-Stryker task force of the 2nd Cavalry conducted an 1,100-plus mile “dragoon ride” back from the Baltics to Germany by way of Poland and the Czech Republic. The maneuver showed off the Stryker vehicles’ impressive mobility: As wheeled vehicles, they do better on long road marches than tracked tanks, although their performance is worse off-road. But clearly the Army thought they were lacking in lethality — and that’s what this upgrade is intended to correct.

This is craziness!

Quite honestly this is why I sometimes think that partnering with the Army should be done on a case by case basis.  Why?  The Army focuses so hard on mechanization that it ignores lessons learned.

The Army dismisses with startling regularity the issue of dismounts.

Add a 30mm cannon to a Stryker and you're dropping at least two soldiers.

That just doesn't seem smart.  If they're worried about Russia and then nothing less than an Armored Task Force with attached artillery, attack helicopters and UAVs will do.

The Army has what it needs already to deter Russia.  This is just a money grab and a bad move.