This is fantastic. Six of these lawn darts on Wasp to do operational testing. Where are the rest of the aircraft that they will share the deck with? 2 x SH-60, 12 x MV-22, 4 x CH-53E, 7 x “skid kids”. Any operational testing is absolutely worthless without all the other aircraft to work around. They need to incorporate this thing into deck cycles and all the moving around involved.I think he's onto something. Fact. The USMC is declaring IOC this summer but the airplane is scheduled to do its first deployment in 2018...another 3 years from now...so ask yourself....why the rush to declare IOC now?
False data is all they are developing in this “test”.
I used to feel good that America was so powerful that we could invade and sweep through Iraq twice, but now I realize you were just a whore for a good invasion and capitulation is kind of your thing. I feel so dirty and cheap.Read it all here.
WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - Six U.S. F-35B fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp landed on the USS Wasp amphibious warship on Monday for two weeks of operational testing required before the Marine Corps can declare a first squadron of 10 F-35s ready for combat use in July, according to a U.S. defense official.I wonder what lies we'll hear from this testing?
The testing, taking place off the coast of Virginia, will involve the six F-35 B-model jets, the highest number of F-35s ever used on a Navy warship to date, as well as Marine Corps pilots, maintenance personnel, and logistics experts, said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly.
The tests will check the ability of the stealthy jets to integrate into flight and deck operations on board the ship. They will include operations and weapons loading at day and night, the jets' ability to coordinate digitally with an on-board logistics system call ALIS, and how well the crew can deal with scheduled and unexpected repairs at sea.
The elite Golden Brigade, Iraq’s premier special forces unit, which had withdrawn to the “Stadium” neighborhood south of the city on Friday to await reinforcements and prepare a counterattack had also abandoned its positions and was retreating from the area under heavy attack by Islamic State forces, according to two officers within the unit reached by phone Sunday.Ramadi has fallen....The Iraqis were given a gift payed for in blood and they proved unworthy of it.
“Ramadi has fallen to Daash (ISIS),” one officer said. “There were many suicide bombers and many soldiers and officers are dead.”
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| pic via Army Complex Twitter page. |
One Marine was killed Sunday morning after a military aircraft reportedly went dbown at Bellows Air Force Station in Waimanalo, Hawaii, sending plumes of smoke in the air that could be seen for miles.This is turning out to be a very bad month for Marine Air and my heart goes out to the deceased Marine, his family and shipmates.
According to an official statement released by the Marine Corps, the Marine was killed when an MV-22 Osprey experienced a "hard-landing mishap"
Should the Corps' ground contingent, he asked, have a dedicated general officer as an advocate, the way the aviation combat element did?The answer is obviously YES! But onto the Sunday discussion.
Is it time to kill Marine Air to save the USMC?
U.S. Special Operations Forces met resistance and had to fight “hand to hand” in Friday night’s raid in al-Amr in southeastern Syria that killed ISIS senior commander Abu Sayyaf, defense officials told The Daily Beast.Read it all here.
Troops from the U.S. Army's elite Delta Force flew into the scene in Ospreys and Black Hawk helicopters, landing near a multi-story building and meeting fierce resistance as they entered, the officials said. The troops engaged in close quarters combat with the target and his body guards, even trading blows “hand to hand” as they rushed the targets, two of the defense officials said.
There was some resistance from armed guards and from Abu Sayyaf himself, but the raiders were prepared for that, a third official told The Daily Beast.I'm not saying they're lying about what happened with this raid but I am saying that it sounds....off.
“It was risky, but not high risk,” the official said. “This is what these guys do.”
Dunford cited a question he fielded from an infantry captain during a visit to the Expeditionary Warfare School in Quantico, Va. The officer wondered whether the cutting edge MV-22 Osprey and F-35B aviation platforms had drawn attention and resources away from the Marines' rifle squads and its larger ground combat element. Should the Corps' ground contingent, he asked, have a dedicated general officer as an advocate, the way the aviation combat element did?This question should have had Dunford and the rest of HQMC on full alert. A revolt (of sorts) is brewing in the Ground Combat Element of the Corps and this type of question is the canary in the coal mine.
For the ground combat element, he said, that means finding ways to do more with the Corps' high-tech air platforms, and to innovate beyond traditional infantry assault methods. Dunford called on a favorite example of 21st Century MAGTF operations: February 21 of this year, when the Marines' crisis response unit in the Middle East found itself operating in six countries simultaneously, between rifle companies and air elements.Want to hear a pile of steaming manure that will almost guarantee that body bags will be filled because of a failed concept? Check this out....
Platforms like the F-35, expected to reach initial operating capability this summer, represent vast untapped potential for the ground combat arms units as well, Dunford said.Uh excuse me Sir but are you fucking serious?
"We're nowhere near capable of fully realizing or leveraging the kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities of that particular aircraft," he said.
Many of you have likely read or heard about the upcoming JADE HELM 15 military training exercise to take place on US soil during this summer. Many believe that this training is specifically geared and aligned towards upcoming civil breakdown here in the United States.This actually seems plausible.
That said, how many of you have heard of the ‘Minerva Research Initiative’? It seems there may be a tie-in between this initiative (which was instated following the 2008 ‘crash’) and the agenda of JADE HELM 15.
Here’s why …
The premise behind the Minerva Research Initiative is apparently this: study how violent political overthrow, aka mass civil breakdown, happens in the day and age of social networks, and be prepared to counteract it – by “targeting peaceful activities and protest movements” – when it finally reaches US shores.
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"Islam was never a religion of peace. Islam is the religion of fighting. No-one should believe that the war that we are waging is the war of the Islamic State. It is the war of all Muslims, but the Islamic State is spearheading it. It is the war of Muslims against infidels."
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Leader of ISIS.
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Soldiers from The 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment have been fine tuning tactics and skills on Salisbury plain as the first new Light Mechanized Battalion.
The Battalion has been using Foxhound and Husky vehicles across a range of challenging manoeuvres aimed at sharpening their fighting skills.
Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Graham Shannon, said: “This is a new role for the Battalion and it is testing soldiers across the board. These vehicles provide a mobile and agile fighting edge… we are at the forefront of developing this concept.”
The training has certainly tested the soldiers. Ranger Colin Gribben said: “I’ve been trained to drive these vehicles but this is the first chance we’ve had to really get to grips with them.” Speaking more generally he said: “We have lots to do to both maintain the vehicles and keep fit so we can deliver a big punch to the enemy.” He added: “The training we’ve had has been really good and I feel confident.”
The Royal Irish will deploy to both Germany and Spain this year prior to taking its place among the UK’s high readiness units able to deploy globally at short notice.
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Efforts underway to recover the six Marines and two Nepalese soldiers who were aboard the missing UH-1Y Huey that was located Friday in Nepal.I don't know the issues with this tragedy. I do know that the Marines involved were attempting to aid their fellow man so they are to be applauded.
"We are deeply saddened by the discovery of this wreckage and we will remain dedicated to the recovery effort until every last Marine and Nepalese soldier is brought home. While we mourn the tragic passing of our service members and of the Nepalese Army, we recognize that the Nepalese people have suffered a loss of thousands of their own citizens. We will continue to stand with Nepal."
— Lt. Gen. John Wissler, JTF 505 commander and III Marine Expeditionary Force/Marine Corps Installations Pacific commanding general
More than 24 hours after a Marine helicopter disappeared in flight over Nepal, a search and rescue effort has found no sign of the missing aircraft and its crew of six U.S. Marines and two Nepalese soldiers, a Pentagon official said Wednesday.Special Operations operate small units that have HUGE support infrastructure. The idea that the USMC should operate small units and purposefully disassemble their support infrastructure has always struck me as misguided.
"The search continues," Army Col. Steve Warren, a Defense Department spokesman, told reporters at the Pentagon Wednesday morning.
The latest official update dashed hopes raised by an earlier report Wednesday morning from the Deutsche Presse Agentur news agency, which suggested that officials had determined the helicopter's location.
"There are a lot of reports floating around, none are attributed to anyone and most have been investigated by DoD and determined to be fake," Army Maj. David Eastburn, a spokesman for U.S. Pacific Command, said in an email to Military Times on Wednesday.
