F-35 decision again delayed by Denmark

via DefenseNews.

This Danish government is set to announce a selection in the first quarter of 2016.
The PDC had specifically sought answers from Christensen regarding technical issues raised about the F-35’s capabilities in the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation Office (DOT&E) report for the US secretary of defense.
Christensen’s decision not to address any questions directly relating to the F-35 did not go down well with many PDC members.
"I find it strange and disturbing that the defense minister, so close to the end of the aircraft type selection process, will not address the critical assessments of the fighter plane that is regarded as the favorite in this competition. I had expected that the minister would have more to say about the F-35 and its technical issues," said Eva Flyvholm, the Red-Green Alliance party member on the PDC.
Denmark has contributed an estimated $291 million to the Joint Strike Fighter development program.
The three competitors have submitted bids for 24, 30 and 36 aircraft to the MoD's Project Office. Denmark had originally sought bids for up to 48 aircraft to replace the Danish Air Force’s aging F-16s.
However, economic uncertainty and tougher public spending cuts have reduced Denmark’s appetite for higher budgets and lowered its ambitions regarding the number of aircraft to be acquired.

More bad news for the F-35 program.

It keeps coming back to costs and the costs are out of control.  Additionally they can't push down the cost curve because the plane is so expensive, so people will buy less which means that the reduced number of aircraft to be bought pushes the price up...which....well you get the idea.

The F-35 is caught in the death spiral, which is turning into a flat spin with the plane headed out to sea.

President Obama to address the nation tonight at 8 pm ET...why not wait till Mon for a news conference?

via White House.

On Sunday, December 6, at 8:00 pm ET, President Obama will address the nation from the Oval Office about the steps our government is taking to fulfill his highest priority: Keeping the American people safe.
He will provide an update on the ongoing investigation into the tragic attack in San Bernardino. He will also discuss the broader threat of terrorism -- including the nature of the threat, how it has evolved, and how we will defeat it.

He will reiterate his firm conviction that ISIL will be destroyed and that the United States must draw upon our values -- our unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and freedom -- to prevail over terrorist groups that use violence to advance a destructive ideology.

This is short fused.  Why rush a "talk to the nation" on Sunday night, instead of waiting till Monday? Do they have intel that another attack is imminent?

Terror attack in London..

Thanks to Galileo for the link!

via BNO

It happened at about 7:06 p.m. local time on Saturday when police were called to reports of a stabbing at the Leytonstone underground station in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. One of the officers responding to the incident fired his taser at the suspect, after which he was taken into custody.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Service said three people were injured in the attack, including one man who suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect was taken to an east London police station where he remained in custody late on Saturday.
"We are treating this as a terrorist incident. I would urge the public to remain calm, but alert and vigilant," said Commander Richard Walton, who leads the Metropolitan Police Service's Counter Terrorism Command. "The threat from terrorism remains at severe, which means that a terrorist attack is highly likely.

A taser vs. a knife.  They seriously need to equip their law enforcement better.

Ringo by Lorne Greene (must see!)

Well I thought it was good...

Because, well, equality…via Bob on the Fob!

Russia has totally ruined Turkey's plans in Iraq/Syria?

Thanks to Joe for the link!

via Huffington Post.

Putin's determination to destroy Turkey's proxies at the Syrian borders and to thwart Erdogan's plan to create a no-fly/buffer zone in the area has derailed Erdogan's plans for Syria. Erdogan hoped to use the buffer zone as an operational hub aimed at bringing down President Assad.

Then this...

Erdogan's objective in shooting down the plane was to provoke Russia into a harsh response. He hoped the response would bring Russia into conflict with the whole of NATO, which would help reverse Turkey's declining fortunes in the Syrian war.
Erdogan's calculations went terribly wrong. Following the incident, Turkey requested an emergency meeting with NATO members. Contrary to Erdogan's expectations, although, members did not support Russia, neither did they wholeheartedly support Turkey. Many members questioned Turkey's action and, according to Reuters, "expressed concern that Turkey did not escort the Russian warplane out of its airspace." In a clear indication of the suspicion among NATO members regarding Turkey's real intention behind its adventurism, some diplomats told Reuters, "There are other ways of dealing with these kinds of incidents."
Not only didn't Cold War II happen, French President Francois Hollande, who promised "merciless" revenge in the aftermath of Paris attacks, met with Putin and they agreed to form an alliance against Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL) in Syria. The outcome of such an alliance is that the "Assad must go" mantra will be overshadowed by the war against Daesh--something that Erdogan hated to occur.

Interesting.  My instincts appear to be spot on.  I have always said that an alliance with Russia against ISIS was the way to go and shot down the idea (pushed by many on this blog) that we had to defend Turkey's actions because they're part of NATO.

The Turks are playing a dangerous game and are doing their level best to bring us into their foolishness.

The funniest thing about this game is that even a blogger could see thru the ham fisted game playing.  Turkey is in trouble.  We need to watch them carefully cause the desperate tend to do stupid stuff and Erdogan is both desperate and crazy.

J-20 nears completion of flight test...ready for production...

Thanks to Fnu Winarto for the link!

via Defense Talk

Chinese J-20 Stealth Fighter has entered its test-flight completion stage following the launch of two prototypes in quick succession last month.
The latest prototype, the eighth in the series, "proves" that the results of test flights are "satisfactory". These tests which include aerodynamic performance, stealth performance and airborne equipment have met or are close to the index requirements, China Military Online, the official publication of the Chinese Defence Ministry reported today.
The latest China-made fourth-generation J-20 stealth fighter with fuselage number 2017 has successfully completed its first flight on November 24, 2015, only two months after the launch of the prototype with fuselage number 2016. This is the eighth China-made J-20 fighter aircraft and the sixth J-20 prototype used for test flight.
The canopy of the J-20 fighter with fuselage number 2017 comes with metal-film coating which can further improve the fighter’s stealth performance, the report said.
Quoting Fu Qianshao, deputy editor of the PLA Air force's Aviation Magazine the report said that the eight prototype can be classified into three categories; the black color J-20 fighters with fuselage numbers 2001 and 2002 are technical verification models, which are similar to the U.S. YF-22 prototype models; the J-20 fighters with fuselage numbers 2011 and 2012, which have different coatings and appearances from the previous ones, are the engineering prototype models; the ones with fuselage numbers 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 are prototype models, which are close to the stereotyped (production) models.
“It is possible that the China-made J-20 fighters will soon be deployed to PLA troops,” Fu claimed.

I am constantly amused by the so called experts on China.  They continue to downplay their advancements and talk up US tech advantage but the reality is different.

The Chinese are drinking our milkshake.

I need a new assessment of this jet.  Airpower Australia did one a few years ago but I wonder what they think now.  Oh and for my friends at F-16.net a quick question.  Do you think that the F-35 will be able to stand toe to toe with the J-20?  If the answer isn't a resounding yes then we need to rethink our drink.

ISIS is now in Afghanistan.

Thanks to Stuart for the link!

via Daily Mail

Reports emerged this week that the Taliban leader was killed in a dramatic internal shoot-out after a meeting of commanders of the now divided movement turned sour.
The formerly united group has been severed by a bitter internal turmoil that has seen a splinter cell break away and declare loyalty to ISIS, which is steadily carving a trail of bloody destruction through the Taliban’s Afghanistan territory.
It is believed that members of the ISIS-led breakaway cell could be responsible for the as yet unconfirmed death of the Taliban’s elected leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour.
His death, if proven, exposes the strife among the Taliban’s top ranks as the group seems to be crumbling under ISIS’ growing strength in Afghanistan.

Interesting.  A quick history lesson.  Before the Bin Laden ordered the twin towers attack do you know what  he had done?  He ordered the killing of the Commander of the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan.  The thinking was that he wanted to clear the board of enemies once he poked the "great Satan".

Now it seems ISIS is doing the samething.

I once quietly hoped that Afghanistan might turn out ok.  I didn't like the idea of "playing nice" and working toward a political solution with the Taliban but couldn't think of a better way forward.

That's probably off the table now.  The Taliban are probably going to be fighting for their very survival...not against the Afghan govt but against ISIS.  If I was betting I'd bet that ISIS will win.  Which means that Pakistan, Afghanistan and eventually India all have a new problem to deal with.

The hits just keep coming.

USNI Blog and Haynie should be proud. They won on women in combat and Neller is rolling over.

The bleeding has started.  The CMC put this message out and seems ready to implement it.  Awesome.  I will do my very best to stick a fork in their recruiting efforts and will laugh my ass off at every misstep this new Corps makes.

They will deserve every bad thing that happens.  The only thing that makes me wonder is why we haven't heard the zealots over at USNI Blog, Haynie and the rest of the camp followers crowing about their win.  I'm sure they were popping corks and I'm positive that their many supporters were partying.  Why no public talk now?

Turkey has troops operating in Mosul, Iraq? UPDATED!

via BBC

The Iraqi government has demanded that Turkey withdraw troops it sent to an area near the northern city of Mosul.
The move was a "serious breach of Iraqi sovereignty" Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said in a statement.
About 150 Turkish soldiers have been deployed near in the town of Bashiqa to train Iraqi Kurdish forces, earlier reports said.

 This is getting beyond interesting.

Turkey has troops operating that deep inside Iraq and this is the first I've heard of it.  Awesome.  I'm betting the stage is being set for some type of buffer zone to be setup.

At least the last year of the Obama Administration won't be boring.

UPDATE:  American Military Forum is reporting its 300 troops and 20 tanks...a Turkish armored battalion, that's operating in Iraq.

The terrorists had an arsenal?

via CNBC

The suspected San Bernardino attackers left behind 12 pipe bombs and more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition at their home, police said Thursday.

The news media has focused on the so called terrorist arsenal.  The thing that has me spinning is the listed ammo and how the liberal media is freaking out.  2500 rounds of .223, 2000 rounds of 9mm and several hundred rounds of .22 is an arsenal?

The reality?

Most guys I know have  MUCH more than that!  Additionally I know for a fact that for the average gun guy, that would be called a starter kit.  And we're just talking shooters.

You look into the prepper community and they would be horrified.  I've read accounts of individuals have upwards of 50K 9mm rounds and equal the number in 5.56/.223.

Liberal America just doesn't understand the gun culture and because they don't the talk about gun control (or the rebranded version...gun safety) isn't going to happen because the trust has been broken.  Hell, the gun community doesn't even trust Republicans on the issue and everyone I know is stocking up so that when the inevitable betrayal happens, they'll be set to pass along their gear and weapons to their children in a future that sees an out of control America.

And that's really the rub isn't it.

The utopian dream of a gun free America is an impossibility.  Too much  gear is already out there.  People have it stashed, buried and hidden.  They won't be able to recover in 1/4th of it.  The only solution?  Learn to Co-Exist with the gun community.

The concern is backlash, not preventing another terrorist attack.

I failed to note the person that sent me these links sorry!

Your Attorney General of the United States isn't talking about finding and defeating active terrorist cells in the states...her focus is anti-Muslim rhetoric.

via The Daily Wire.

Lynch said her "greatest fear" is the "incredibly disturbing rise of anti-Muslim rhetoric" in America and vowed to prosecute any guilty of what she deemed violence-inspiring speech.

"The fear that you have just mentioned is in fact my greatest fear as a prosecutor, as someone who is sworn to the protection of all of the American people, which is that the rhetoric will be accompanied by acts of violence," she said.

Incredible rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric?  I haven't seen it...and I've been looking.  Trump was talking about combating terrorism so this is stupidity on a plate...but it gets better.  The "never let a crisis go to waste" is in full effect in the White House though....

We’re at the point where these issues have come together really like never before in law enforcement thought and in our nation’s history and it gives us a wonderful opportunity and a wonderful moment to really make significant change.

So your Federal Govt is focused on crushing anti-Muslim rhetoric that doesn't exist and pushing significant change.

And they wonder why people don't believe that the govt is focused on preventing another terrorist attack?

I continue to be amazed at the lack of focus on what's real.  I marvel at the tone deafness expressed by these people.  Quite honestly I'm surprised that the "smartest" people in the room could be so fucking stupid.  You deserve it though.  You elected these arrogant bastards.

Female shooter in California terrorist attack pledged allegiance to ISIS on Facebook.

Told ya so.

ISIS has successfully struck America.  A foreigner on a visa was able to use our system against us.

Will liberal America and the President face reality now?

Will they still blame guns or will they lay the blame at the feet of the real demon here?   A quick question.   Besides Islam, name any other religion where the more devout you are, the more likely you are to commit a terrorist attack?

The strange vehicle in the California terrorist attack? It was an Armored Deployment Platform!

Image and story via Guns.com

The Rook, a converted Caterpillar track loader with rubber tracks, cameras, joy stick controls and gun ports, is armored to NIJ Level IV specs– capable of withstanding hits from .30-06 M2 armor-piercing rounds.

It uses an Armored Deployment Platform to allow officers to be pushed to the scene of an incident or, if needed, boosted to up to 11 feet to a second floor of a structure, all while behind both cover and concealment.

As noted by the manufacturer, “In a vehicle takedown, the platform can also be slanted downward so shots can be fired into a car without endangering pedestrians or other passersby.”

Simply amazing.  I saw this a few years ago but quite honestly dismissed the company as a fly by nite that wouldn't get the time of day.

Little did I know.

Good work by Guns.com to puzzle this together.  I noticed this vehicle but didn't know what I was looking at (we did have an aerial view so I'll use that as my excuse).

British Forces to receive new kit...Virtus body armour, Virtus helmet and the Dynamic Weight Distribution (DWD) system

Pictured is a side view (left facing) of soldier wearing full Virtus body armour, Virtus helmet and the Dynamic Weight Distribution (DWD) system with a Bergen. 

The new Virtus system uses the latest materials and offers the same protection as Osprey body armour but is significantly lighter, moves with the body more easily and produces a slimmer profile. The amount of protection employed can be scaled up or down to match the type of threat by adding or removing soft armour pads and hard ballistic plates. It is compatible with both Osprey and Enhanced Combat Body Armour. 

A new, lighter helmet will provide increased blunt impact protection, face and mandible guards for certain roles and a shape that is designed to work with the armour and daysack so weapons can be comfortably used even in a prone position. 

One of the most radical innovations is an integral 'spine' - the 'dynamic weight distribution' system. The device is linked to the user’s waist belt and helps spread the load of the body armour, a Bergen or daysack across the back, shoulders and hips. 

The system also employs a new quick-release mechanism – a pin positioned on the chest that when pulled releases the entire body kit. 

Virtus Scalable Tactical Vest (STV)

The Scalable Tactical Vest (STV) can be used for load carriage without any armour; as a fragmentation vest with soft armour padding consisting of a composite granular material but no hard plates; as a plate carrier with no soft armour; or as a full body armour system with soft and hard armour. It is compatible with both Osprey and Enhanced Combat Body Armour.

Any combination of front, rear or side plates can be employed. 

The STV comes in seven different sizes for a tailored fit. Chest size and torso length instead of height are now used for measuring. Modified lower profile soft armour further reduces the bulk when compared with Osprey, allowing for more agility. 

The quick-release pin allows the STV to be removed in a couple of seconds with one pull. This applies when it is used in any of its configurations. 

A lightweight webbing system is designed to be worn under and integrated with the body armour.

Both the daysack and Bergen are fully integrated with the rest of the torso sub-system. This ensures that they are carried close to the body preventing excessive movement of the load but without pushing the rear ballistic plate into the body. Both can be used in conjunction with the dynamic weight distribution system. 

Pouches are made from one piece of fabric and fold flat when empty, minimising profile and the possibility of snagging. 

The dynamic weight distribution system contains a hard spine that takes the load and is linked to a hip belt. This allows the soldier to transfer the weight of his load from the shoulders to the hips or the other way via an adjuster positioned in the small of the back. 

Troops and equipment need to be sized correctly for the DWD to be effective. It is estimated that personnel will need a day’s worth of training and familiarisation with the kit. 

The Virtus helmet has a fixed shroud for the mounting of night vision goggles and a counterweight for neck comfort. 

Its fit can be easily adjusted in the same way as modern cycling and climbing helmets.

The sculpted rear prevents interference with body armour or daysack when adopting a prone fire position.

It provides more protection to the side of the head and is 350g lighter than the Mk7 it succeeds. 

The helmet can be fitted with both mandible guard and visor, or either, which provide face protection for crews in open vehicles such as Jackal or WMIK.

Why won't the President/Feds call the California incident a terrorist attack?

via The LA Times

A senior federal government official told The Times that Farook was in contact with a small number of suspected extremists. There are also indications that the 28-year-old gunman communicated with at least one person who is currently being monitored as a potential terror suspect, the source said.
Farook's connection to the potential terror suspect may only be tangential, the source said, but the link suggests there may be a "deeper terror matrix" behind the San Bernardino shootings.

The reality? We're looking at an intel failure.

The worry?  We might be looking at a couple of active terrorist cells in the LA area.  But if you think that's something check this out.



So the President isn't sure that this was a terrorist attack?  Every American that is paying attention knows that this was a hit.  The real question is why are the Feds slow walking the declaration of the California shooting being a terrorist attack?  Additionally they are being aided by the news media in calling this a mass shooting incident instead of what it is.

The cynic in me thinks that this is about Obama wanting to push his gun control agenda.  But the tactician in me thinks its about more.  The Democrats are desperate to hold onto the White House and have dreams of picking up the Senate.  What happens if the American people lose confidence in their party?  What happens if no one trusts them to do the most basic of govt functions...preventing terrorist attacks (God knows they have all the tools necessary...monitoring of citizens is at an alltime high)?

ISIS is fighting a war.  We're playing politics.

Japan has a unique and seriously jacked up culture...

A buddy sent me a note saying I had to see this wrestling clip to believe it.  Instantly I knew he wasn't talking about Greco-Roman wrestling and more the WWE style.

I turned it on and when I saw it was Japanese I knew it was gonna be insane.
What happened next had me asking myself what the fuck I had just seen and sending a e-mail to this former friend (just kidding) to inquire if he was smoking crack!

 In all seriousness though.  The Japanese have a unique and seriously jacked up culture.  The sexual innuendo that is rampant there is something that I could never quite wrap my head around.

To each his own I guess.  It makes one wonder though.  If you think Japan is wild (and it is) then you should check out some of the shadier sides of Thailand.  Moving around the globe there are dozens of spots that are on the hot list for sexual "holidays" as the Brits call it I (I understand Kenya is extremely popular).

Anyway.  A little craziness for your Friday...oh and supposedly this vid is breaking the internet.

Terminal Lance on Women in the Infantry...

The "New" Marine Corps is encouraging members to join gender equality groups.

via The Free Beacon.

U.S. Marines and members of all branches of the military are being encouraged to join monthly “Lean In” support groups, where they can visit a “safe place” to talk about gender issues.
The Pentagon is partnering with Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, who began the “Lean In” gender equality movement.
The Marines posted a memorandum on “Lean In Circles” last week, which are intended to make women and men feel more “comfortable” talking about gender in the military.

This new Marine Corps is gonna be something to see.  Chesty was wrong.  There is a bit of difference between the old and the new.  2015 is when the Old Corps died and the new one began.

I've posted in the past with an eye toward advocacy and yelling to the rooftops about what I thought was wrong.  Now?  I'm rethinking the whole thing.  I can't advocate for an organization that I don't believe in so I guess it'll turn just commenting about the decline of a once great fighting force.

But back to this story.  Don't be fooled.  This is simply part of the plan to integrate women into combat arms.  These "lean in" groups are simply indoctrination.

I don't want to see the US at war, but I can't wait to see how these integrated units perform in combat.  Oh and there will be combat.  Can't you sense the predators circling the US because they smell weakness coming from the withered carcass of a once great power?  We're gonna get dragged into combat and our military will fail.  That will be the start of the beginning of the end of US hegemony.

Side Note:  I'm surprised I didn't see the writing on the wall long ago.  The "Legged Squad Support Robot"...in essence a gear carrier for troops over rough ground never made sense.  Unless you integrate females into the infantry and need to find a way to allow them to keep up and not breed discontent by spreading their load to the guys.

Thanks to Eric at ELP Blog for reminding me of this!

MRAPs/Armored Vehicles for Law Enforcement is not the solution...nor is it needed.

via KSBW.com

Multiple military style vehicles were used to bring SWAT teams to Wednesday's attack in San Bernardino. Several similar personnel carriers are in the possession of Monterey and Santa County police departments, following controversial acquisitions.
Following the mass shooting at a center for people with developmental disabilities that left 14 people dead, the shooters fled in their vehicle. Police SWAT teams arrived in Bearcat-style vehicles, and the shooters, a husband and wife, were in their black SUV. While in pursuit, police say they were fired on and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms reported what looked like a bomb was thrown out the SUV.
Armored vehicles were later used to converge on the couple’s vehicle and secure the scene.
It is the kind of use local police departments claim they need their armored vehicles.

This is one example of numerous stories that have been pumped out by the news media after the terrorist attack in San Bernardino.  My guess is that the image of two Bearcats being used to block the suspect vehicle AFTER the shootout to check it for possible bombs and to retrieve the terrorist bodies is what's capturing the imagination of these people.

They're wrong.

As usual, instead of doing a proper analysis of the incident they're rushing to think that a few "special ops" LEOs are what carried the day.

Again, it boggles the mind.

The real solution lies in up arming patrolmen.  The average LEO on the street doing the job day in and day out.  Lets do a quick recap.  The first people to enter the building?  Street cops.  They're trained to confront active shooters...and now terrorists immediately to help lessen the body count.

The people that found the car and engaged in a shootout with the suspects?  Street cops.

Pumping more money into SWAT and believing that some "super cops" will carry the day is part of the problem that is muddying the issue for law enforcement.  The real solution is to simply do what needs to be done.  Every squad car needs to have a Patrol Carbine ready to go with a combat loadout.  I'm talking at least 300 rounds of ammo.  Plate carriers, helmets, blowout kits and first aid gear in every car ready to be put on when needed.  Additionally we need to get real about what we're dealing with.  The day will come when cops will be called from home to respond to multiple attacks in one city.  That means that this needs to be part of a take home/go bag so that they can deploy from wherever they happen to be if they're off duty.

The real problem is that the real solution isn't simply armored vehicles.  Its upping the training, having standardized requirements and continuous testing to make sure that those standards are met and improved funding across the board.

Doing it the right way will be much more expensive than simply getting a few MRAPs from the military.  The funny thing?  This will militarize the police much more than they are now...but it will be less visible...so easier to get done....if we have the will and Chiefs get smart enough to look at this realistically while explaining the need to the public.