Russia to develop "Improved" Ivan Gren Class Amphibious Assault Ship...

via TASS

Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) will improve Ivan Gren-class amphibious assault ships, taking into account the Navy’s remarks, USC Head Alexei Rakhmanov said on Tuesday.


"As we make arrangements for the production of the next two amphibious assault ships, we will take into account all the drawbacks expressed by the fleet," the corporation chief said.


The project of amphibious assault ships will be improved from the viewpoint of their maneuverability, their readiness for sea transits, the crew habitability and the ergonomics of building the ship, he added.

Story here. 

Piggybacking on the story I posted earlier today (much earlier).  The Russians doing improvements to this class of ship shows a "lessons learned" from the deployment to Syria and MAYBE an eye toward the Pacific.  If this is signalling a tilt toward the Pacific then that region is going to get very full, very fast.

Side note.  Why does everyone talk about anti-access with regard to the Pacific when we don't have to "enter".  We're already there in MASS!  I don't know what military planners are actually up to, but the only need for a penetrating fighter/bomber is to strike the Chinese mainland.  Our fight will be to keep China contained, not to fight our way into the region!

Royal Netherland Army's 43 Mechanized Brigade on exercise (CV90 IFV & Leopard 2 MBT thru the muck)...

General Dynamics AJAX Armored Personnel Carrier Live Fire....

Late Open Comment Post. 19 March 2019

Blast from the past. The Chinese vs Russia battle in 1969...

Note.  How did we miss this?  I imagine it has to do with my pre-occupation of the war in Vietnam and the various fights that were happening around the world both big and small. That still doesn't explain why this battle isn't talked about more.

via National Interest.

This account relates that about three hundred PLA soldiers crossed over to the island on the night of March 2 and suddenly opened fire on the group of Russian border guards that had been sent to investigate at mid-morning, killing almost all of them. Out on the ice of the Ussuri River, the Russian unit evidently had no protection and was “quickly destroyed.” Shavaev cites medical reports revealing an even greater atrocity: “[the border guards] were brutally finished off with bayonets and shots at close range. Their sheepskin coats, felt boots and hats were removed [были зверски добиты штыками и выстрелами в упор, с них были сняты тулупы, валенки, шапки].” According to this report, thirty-two Soviet border guards perished that day, along with a couple hundred of Chinese soldiers, as well, in the fighting that ensued. “And the Ussuri ice melted from bullets … and shells. The white March snow of the Island of Damansky turned dirty and bloody,” Shavaev writes in his description.



A larger fight then unfolded on March 14 in the same area. That battle, as Shavaev notes, involved both tanks and artillery. “It was brief … but it was a war.” Most critically, the Soviets employed the Grad rocket artillery system with devastating effects. Shavaev relates: “In a matter of minutes, Chinese battle formations and rear areas turned into a bloody mess mixed with earth, corpses and metal [За считаные минуты китайские боевые порядки и тыловые районы базирования превратились в горящее, перемешанное с землей, трупами и металлом кровавое месиво.].” Thousands of Chinese soldiers are said to have been killed in the second engagement. Interestingly, this author suggests that the Soviet border guards were sacrificed, in part, due to a lack of “strategic foresight” in the Soviet military high command. Yet, it is explained that the main cause of the engagement were intrigues in Beijing that sought to “further unite the people under the banner of the ideas of the “great helmsman [еще больше сплотить народ под знаменем идей ‘великого кормчего,’” a reference to Mao obviously. With evident bitterness, Shavaev explains that Damansky Island was turned over to China in 1991 and that the PLA maintains a museum there commemorating the “victory” over the Soviet Union.

This article is a must read!  Check it out here! 

Just plain wow.

This battle is instructive.  The Chinese can be expected to attack suddenly, massively and without apparent provocation.

The Russian response is important to note.  Massive fires are needed to repel their assault.  Additionally it should be noted that these tensions remain (at least in my opinion).  China is on the hunt for resources.  With their Silk Road receiving push back as more nations are realizing that the "gifts" have enormous chains attached, I believe that they will seek more "robust" solutions to their resource problems.

Attempts to seize Russian territory has got to seem attractive.

All the more reason to ease tensions with them so that they can pivot to defending their border with China...that is the final piece in the puzzle to surrounding the dragon.

One thing I don't understand.

After such treachery, why would Russia turn over the island to the Chinese?

US planning military action in Venezuela?

via Military Times

President Donald Trump has been talking about ordering a military operation targeting Venezuela since 2017.


At first, that was widely dismissed as a rash threat, but the idea of a U.S. effort to force “regime change” in the oil-rich South American country may be gaining momentum in Washington.


“It’s a regime that, frankly, could be toppled very quickly by the military if the military decides to do that,” Trump said in September.


In January, National Security Adviser John Bolton flashed a notebook that read “5,000 troops to Colombia."


And on Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ordered all U.S. diplomats to leave Venezuela, saying their presence there “has become a constraint on U.S. policy,” hinting at opening potential military options.


Speculation about a military assault on Venezuela was also fueled by Trump’s recent appointment of a former George W. Bush administration official who was an architect of the Iraq War, Elliot Abrams, to be the new “Special Representative for Venezuela.”


Heightened concerns prompted the Democratic-led House Foreign Affairs Committee to meet Wednesday to debate a bill that would prohibit Trump from taking military action in Venezuela without congressional approval.


White House officials say “all options on the table,” including a military intervention or military support of allies in the region.

Story here.

The US won't invade so who will we support in the effort?  Brazil?  Colombia? I doubt either country wants to take on the challenge but who knows!

One thing I do know.  As soon as the first troops cross the line you're gonna see the economic sanctions lifted and they're hoping that corporations flood in to pick the bones of the carcass that is Venezuela.

Haliburton or an equivalent will rush to rebuild infrastructure and the new President can be expected to sign all kinds of deals that will put the nation in debt for a century or more.

Freedom ain't free and the people of Venezuela are gonna see that full force.  Is it worth it?  Probably.  Living as they have for the past couple of years has been hell.

All things considered I could be spot on and it's still a price they'd happily pay.

Marne Focus 2019....Video by Pvt. Jose Escamilla

F-15X gets HUGE future buy...

We break: AF 5-yr plan to Hill today calls for spending $7.85b on 80 F-15EX  jets, 18 per yr after the first 8 in  2020; F-35 plan calls for 240 through 2024, or 48 per yr; last yr's plan called for 54 per yr in 21', 22' 23'

— Anthony Capaccio (@ACapaccio) March 18, 2019

This is the F-35 supporters worst fears.

Now do you get the force of connection!  The biggest customer for the F-35A is gonna take a haircut.  The F-35C is so small a buy that it will probably die.  The F-35B is moving forward but you have to wonder if the USMC will be able to afford the maintenance on the plane and if they might be forced (out of necessity and the future battlefield) to buy EA-18G's for the electronic attack role!

I told you the death spiral was coming.  This is it boys and girls!!!

The Devil Pups still go hard!!!

Just patiently waiting on Monday like Mr. Blue Helmet!  #brcc #americascoffee pic.twitter.com/DY2jn5YBjW

— Black Rifle Coffee (@blckriflecoffee) March 17, 2019

Yeah baby!  A little righteous aggression never hurt anyone.  Love it!  Blue gets 10 on style points alone, much less that beautifully executed flip with a damn near perfect stab to the heart....he obviously payed attention during those school circles on Marine Corps history...

I just noticed and was never told that this fight took place in a contaminated battlefield...that part isn't mentioned but they were fighting in NBC gear?  That makes it all the more heroic.  WW1 isn't studied enough. 

Three dead in shooting in Dutch city of Utrecht

#UPDATE Three people were killed and nine injured in a shooting in the Dutch city of #Utrecht on Monday, the mayor said, adding that authorities were working on the basis of it being a terrorist attack https://t.co/1d3POFcCWS pic.twitter.com/kNTaf2Fac9

— AFP news agency (@AFP) March 18, 2019

Turkey, Iran Launch Joint Raid Against Kurdish Rebels

via RadioFarda.

Turkey and Iran on Monday started a joint military operation against Kurdish rebels on Turkey's eastern border, state-run Anadolu news agency quoted the interior minister as saying.


Turkey has recently talked about a possible joint operation with neighbor Iran to counter outlawed militants from the the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), but this is the first time Turkish authorities have confirmed a raid.


"We started staging a joint operation with Iran against the PKK on our eastern border as of 0800 (0500 GMT) this morning," Suleyman Soylu said of the operation against the PKK, listed as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies.


"We will announce the result later," he said.


Soylu did not specify precisely which PKK bases the planned operation targeted but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has in the past said it would be against militant hideouts in Iraq.


The Turkish military has often bombed PKK bases in Iraq's mountainous northern regions as part of its decades-long operations against the group.


Iranian security forces have also fought the PKK affiliate, the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK). Both groups have rear bases in neighboring Iraq.


The PKK has waged a three-and-a-half decade insurgency against the Turkish state, initially seeking independence and more recently autonomy for Turkey's Kurdish minority. Fighting has left tens of thousands dead.

Story here. 

This is about to get quite sporting.  Iran and Turkey joining forces?  How did this happen?  Why would the Turks think this was a good idea?  Why would Iran?

They're "sowing the wind"...This will end badly for the region.  We're dealing with madmen and fools.

On both sides.

Traitors in our midsts. Utah man pleads guilty to spying for China...

via Salt Lake City Tribune.

A Utah man who once served as a case officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency has pleaded guilty to trying to spy on the United States on behalf of China.


As part of the plea agreement, Syracuse resident Ron Rockwell Hansen, 59, will likely spend 15 years in federal prison, according to a news release from Utah’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.


Hansen worked with the Defense Intelligence Agency from 2000 to 2006 when he was a warrant officer in the Army. After leaving the Army in 2006, he was hired by the Defense Intelligence Agency, where he learned to speak both Mandarin-Chinese and Russian fluently as part of his training. He quit the job less than a year after he was hired to work for Salt Lake City-based H-11 Digital Forensics, a cybersecurity firm run by his brother Jon.

Story here. 

Obviously greed trumps patriotism...at least in this guy's case.  But you have to wonder.  The Chinese are throwing around money like crazy and a lot of people are chasing the American/Consumer dream of more, more, more.

Can an open society survive?

Does the very nature of modern life mean that internal surveillance is a NECESSITY for national survival?

I don't know but this is troubling.  From just a sketchbook look at this guy's resume he would seem to tick the boxes of what you would want in an intel professional.  He was an Army Officer.  He served in the DIA.  He spoke the language of our definite enemy (China...a Mandarin speaker is a rarity I would think) and our supposed enemy (Russia).

He was a valuable asset.

But he turned.

Should I feel sad for his weakness or fearful for our country or both?

When your so called allies flee in the face of insurgents the war is already lost...

via Military.com

Around 100 Afghan soldiers fled their posts and tried to cross into neighboring Turkmenistan during a weeklong battle with the Taliban, officials said Sunday, in the latest setback for the country's battered security forces.


Mohammad Naser Nazari, a provincial council member in the western Badghis province, said the soldiers weren't allowed to cross the border and their fate remains unknown. The Taliban have posted pictures of captured soldiers on social media.


Jamshid Shahabi, the provincial governor's spokesman, said 16 soldiers have been killed and 20 wounded during the ongoing battle in the Bala Murghab district, in which the military carried out airstrikes and dispatched reinforcements. He said a number of soldiers tried to flee, without providing an exact figure.


Shahabi said more than 40 insurgents were killed in the fighting. He said the provincial police chief and army commander are in the district and instructing the forces to root out insurgents and rescue soldiers. Officials said the fighting had largely subsided by Sunday, with sporadic clashes breaking out in remote areas.

Story here. 

The first paragraph tells me all I need to know.  Captured Afghan soldiers are a tragedy as are the wounded.

I don't place any belief in the number of insurgents killed.  It doesn't matter if its true or not.

The bad guys are winning.

But even if we surged US forces to win back ground the issue is all but settled.

The Taliban have essentially won this war.  I wish that wasn't the case but it is.  Bush was stupid and we all bought into his meme of "stay the course" and invading Iraq for nuclear weapons that weren't there.  Then we idiotically "listened to the generals" and found ourselves in a war that has lasted almost 20 years and if we continue to listen will probably last another 20.

With the same end result.

The Northern Alliance was and is weak.  Our way of war proved insufficient because we sought continued operations instead of victory.

Our arrogance mirrored the arrogance of others that came before with the same result. 

Afghanistan truly is the graveyard of empires.

Australian Air Force approaches its goal to become the most powerful electronic attack force on the planet...

via Australian Defense.

Defence has announced the acquisition of four modified Gulfstream G550 aircraft – to be designated the MC-55A “Peregrine” - for the RAAF.
Minister for Defence Christopher Pyne said the $2.46 billion acquisition would enable Defence to actively strengthen electronic warfare support to naval, air and land forces for operations in complex electromagnetic environments.


"The Peregrine is a new airborne electronic warfare capability that will be integrated into Defence's joint warfighting networks, providing a critical link between platforms, including the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter, E-7A Wedgetail, EA-18G Growler, Navy’s surface combatants and amphibious assault ships and ground assets to support the warfighter,” Minister Pyne said.

Story here. 

Take a look at the line up...

The E-7 Wedgetail...

The EA-18G Growler, plus the other AESA arrayed jets in their force the Super Hornet and F-35 (I don't plus out the F-35 because its obvious that its electronic attack is based on its AESA array so that doesn't make it unique).

The Aussies when they introduce the MC-55 will have the most powerful electronic attack force on the planet for an air force of its size and I would bet that it would rival those of the major powers in theaters in which it operates assuming its able to act as unified force.

Impressive.

On a per capita basis they have to have one of the MOST AGGRESSIVE modernization programs going today.  Not just for one service but seemingly across all three simultaneously. 

Who would have thunk it.

The Aussies are showing the free world how defense acquisition is done (with the exception of the F-35..they should have bought B models for the LHDs and gone all Super Hornet/Growler for their Air Force).

Open Comment Post. 18 March 2019

Future warrior concept with a shield?  Makes sense.  Mike Sparks proposed this long ago and for urban combat I wonder why it hasn't made it onto the scene.  I guess it would depend on how much it weighed but it could save lives.  Besides this guy is carrying an enormous amount of gear anyway.  He definitely spends time in the gym!

USAF surrenders to mother nature...the US military has been trashed by bad weather lately!

via Omaha World Herald.

Even the U.S. Air Force couldn't stop the Mighty Missouri River from flooding Offutt Air Force Base.


Between Saturday night and early Sunday, the 55th Wing called off a 30-hour, round-the-clock sandbagging effort because the floodwaters were rising too fast.


"It was a lost cause. We gave up," said Tech. Sgt. Rachelle Blake, a 55th Wing spokeswoman.


By Sunday morning, one-third of the base was underwater, she said. About 60 structures have been damaged, most on the south end of the base. No one, though, has been injured.

Story here. 

The most powerful military in the world humbled by bad weather.  Pretty stunning in my opinion.

Do we need to rethink basing?

I think so.  If nothing else we need to do a better job of fortifying building and ensuring that they're above flood plains.  Bases on the coast need to have all buildings certified to withstand hurricane force winds, in the midwest they need to be built to withstand tornadoes, etc...

I think we need to move away from aesthetics to what can actually withstand wild weather.  Something like you see below but on a much larger scale perhaps...

Once again we hear about stealth being good for only 5 to 10 years...

via National Interest.

Israeli F-35Is uniquely will have an overriding Israeli-built C4 program that runs “on top” of Lockheed’s operating system. One of F-35’s key capabilities come from its superior ability to soak up data with its sensors and share it with friendly forces. Compatibility with datalinks used by friendly Israeli air and ground forces is thus an important aspect from Israel’s perspective as it tracks the position of hostile surface-to-surface rocket launchers and surface-to-air missiles systems.


The new system will also allow the IDF to install Israeli-built datalinks and defensive avionics systems such as radar-jamming pods. An official told Aviation Week the IAF expects the advantages of the F-35’s low radar cross section will be “good for five to ten years” before adversaries develop countermeasures. There already exist methods for detecting stealth fighters, including long-range infrared sensors, electromagnetic sensors, and low bandwidth radars (though all have significant limitations), and more exotic technologies such as quantum radar are also under development.

Story here. 

The story is talking about the Israeli F-35...a plane like no other.  The big issue that keeps getting glossed over is that the Israeli Air Force expects stealth to be only viable for another 5 to ten years.

Let's be generous and say that they're talking 2020 and not 2019.

That's 2025 at the earliest...2030 at the latest if they're correct.  And why should they lie?

What does that mean?

It means that a major selling point for the F-35 will be kaput before it gets full block 4 treatment!

That should be stunning.

What does the plane have to hang its hat on then?  Sensor fusion?  I keep saying that 4th gen planes have the same NOW!  The Gripen and the Super Hornet have both claimed to have sensor fusion.  I'm sure the Russians and Chinese already have it or soon will.

That also helps explain the decision by the Navy to push more Super Hornets and the push against USAF brass on the F-15X.

Face it boys and girls.

An all stealth force is a fool's errand.  Perhaps partial stealth IS the way forward (although some claim that the F-35 is only partially stealthy anyway!).

Rheinmetall Vehicle Systems Division – Move. Sense. Strike.

The fight between India/Pakistan DID THREATEN to go nuclear!

via Reuters.

At one stage, India threatened to fire at least six missiles at Pakistan, and Islamabad said it would respond with its own missile strikes “three times over”, according to Western diplomats and government sources in New Delhi, Islamabad and Washington.


The way in which tensions suddenly worsened and threatened to trigger a war between the nuclear-armed nations shows how the Kashmir region, which both claim and is at the core of their enmity, remains one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints.


The exchanges did not get beyond threats, and there was no suggestion that the missiles involved were anything more than conventional weapons, but they created consternation in official circles in Washington, Beijing and London.


Reuters has pieced together the events that led to the most serious military crisis in South Asia since 2008, as well as the concerted diplomatic efforts to get both sides to back down.

Story here. 

Just wow.  Some thought I was alarmist when I said this thing looked like it would spiral.  Unfortunately I was right.

Think about it.

One miscalculation.

One idiot move by a Junior Officer.

We could have witnessed nuclear fire.

How do you prevent something similar from happening in the future?  How do you keep the nuclear war genie in the bottle with so many countries have overt and covert nuclear weapons?

From my seat its only a matter of time.  Fallout 3 will be live instead of a video game.

The saving grace is that we know that the earth repairs itself after nuclear hellfire so unless its great powers, the damage should be limited...but that will be irrelevant to the people caught up in it.

Blast from the past. Vulcan Bomber flying over USSR Kiev Carrier...did the Soviets have it right with a hybrid carrier?

Supposition. 

The Soviets were onto something when they developed hybrid carriers.  STOVL carriers that also act as missile ships is the future...they were just 30 years ahead of their time.

Supposition.

There is a movement to separate Marine fast air jets from the MEU.  Marine Corps leadership, Think Tanks, and Air Power Advocates continue to push for the F-35B to be part of the sea control battle instead of supporting Marine Ground.

Supposition.

If the America Class LHD is going to "leave ground forces on the pier" then it makes sense to bolster the classes firepower by adding long range anti-ship/anti-air missiles to make up for a reduced sortie rate and to provide for active defense if it is to participate alongside big carriers in the sea battle.

Conclusion.

If this plan actually gains traction then the America Class LHD should be redesigned to accommodate this new role.  Additionally the San Antonio Class and the LX(R) Class should be abandoned and Marine Ground should push for the Mistral Class LHD so that Marine Air (Rotary) can be "perfectly" wedded to support Ground Forces.  Well Deck space will be gained to support both vertical and surface assault.  Individual Ship action in a Distributed Battle Space will be enhanced because each ship will have its own "wing" of aircraft to support widely dispersed units.