Thursday, December 09, 2021

101st Air Assault in Brazil (Exercise Southern Vanguard 22)

 

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U.S. Marine Ospreys deployed to Djibouti, Africa

 

A U.S. Marine MV-22 Osprey assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 161 returns after a mission to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Oct. 14, 2021. The Ospreys support the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) by providing personnel recovery and casualty evacuation of U.S. Forces throughout East Africa. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Dwane R. Young)
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Wednesday, December 08, 2021

Force Design 2030 supposedly guaranteed the Marine Corps existence into the future. It will ....with the caveat of being absorbed by the Army or Navy...its being openly talked about now.

 

I predicted this.

We saw fan fiction by the HQMC that the new plan would keep the Marine Corps relevant.

Despite all the talk of the Marine Corps performing the Navy's mission that somehow the Marine Corps would remain independent.

Now?

Now we see it finally breaking into the open.

Budgets are tight and a member of our sister service...a service that supposedly we're twisting ourselves in knots to support is talking about DRASTICALLY downsizing the Marine Corps and having portions of it absorbed by the Army and Navy.

If I have my choice I'd rather we become a Corps in the Army.

Why?

I look to how the Army has treated its Airborne, Special Ops and aviation communities.

The plus?  We would still perform our traditional amphibious assault mission.  We would gain access to the latest weaponry and we would still have gear tailored to our tradecraft.

The minus?  Can't think of one that wouldn't come with being partnered with the Navy.  

Even better?  I have the sneaking suspicion that the Army might appreciate have a Corps of Marines alot more than the Navy does.

My thinking?

Bergers plan has opened Pandora's box.  Better to get ahead of the curve and pick an almost inevitable direction rather than being picked apart by the vultures dressed as accountants.
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Wonderful work by OUR United States Coast Guard...via Stephen T. Watson's Twitter page

I don't give this service the credit they deserve. They straddle a couple of amazing roles. Law Enforcement, Rescue and National Defense. Coasties do it all!
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Hercules C-130 enhanced air mobility demonstration

 

Mark my words. The Brits will regret sunsetting their C-130s!~
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81mm Mortar Platoon TRAP Training

U.S. Marines and Sailors with 2d Battalion, 8th Marines, execute a Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel drill while conducting force-on-force training during Fuji Viper 22.1 at Combined Arms Training Center, Camp Fuji, Japan, Nov. 7, 2021. This unscripted force-on-force exercise tested and strengthened the Marines’ ability to operate in distributed environments, while adapting to a thinking peer-level adversary. 2/8 is forward-deployed in the Indo-Pacific under 4th Marines, 3d Marine Division, as a part of the Unit Deployment Program. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jackson Dukes)
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Contested Island Exercise

 

U.S. Marines with 2d Battalion, 8th Marines, conducted Contested Island Exercise on Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 28 – Nov. 3, 2021. This exercise demonstrated the Marines’ ability to rapidly execute a wide range of missions and displayed U.S. resolve to maintain regional security in the Indo-Pacific. 2/8 is forward deployed in the Indo-Pacific under 4th Marines, 3d Marine Division. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Levi J. Guerra)
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Open Comment Post. 8 Dec 2021

 

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KAPLAN MT

KAPLAN MT's design architecture with advanced ballistic and mine protection systems allows the use of a wide variety of firepower for infantry units, ranging from close fire support to armor-piercing ammunition against larger targets.

The KAPLAN MT gets its advanced mobility from its 6-wheel anti-shock suspension system based on double pin tracks and torsion shafts. It is a tank that successfully combines its adaptability to the terrain and superior driving control features, especially in mountainous, high rough terrain conditions where it would be difficult for main battle tanks to enter, and on roads with low-carrying bridges.

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3ABCT/4ID Sustainment Gunnery. 2021

Soldiers assigned to 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division fire during night gunnery table V at Fort Carson, Colorado, Dec. 2, 2021. Table V is the final table before crew qualification. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Tobias Cukale)
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A disturbing indictment of mainstream news...working to reshape the message on the economy???

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Russian forces continue to flow....Tsesar Kunikov and Novercherkassk large landing ships loaded up equipment and troops from the Black Sea Fleet's 810th Naval Infantry Brigade.

 

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‘Burts Knights’ conduct a multi-company live-fire exercise at Camp Ä€daži, Latvia

 

Soldiers with 3rd Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment (3-66), 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division fire 25mm rounds using an M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle during a multi-company live-fire exercise at Camp Ādaži, Ādaži, Latvia, Dec 3, 2021. Soldiers with 3-66 are currently participating in Winter Shield 2021, a combined forces exercise that strengthens ties between NATO allies and partner nations through integrated training exercises. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michael Baumberger/RELEASED)
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US Air Force B-52s fly marathon mission to Europe

Synopsis

US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers flew a marathon mission on 10 November 2021, taking off from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to strike simulated targets in the North Sea region.
The bombers joined fighter escorts from the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force, along with US Air Force fighters and B-1B Lancer bombers assigned to Bomber Task Force Europe. The Task Force is a regular, rotational deployment of strategic bombers to Europe, which gives US air crews a chance to familiarise themselves with Allied airspace, infrastructure, tactics and procedures. Currently, B-1B bombers from the Texas-based 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron are deployed to RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom.
Footage includes shots of B-52s, B-1Bs and an interview with Lieutenant Colonel Nathan “Griz” Jenkins, B-1B pilot and detachment commander.
Transcript

(00:00) VARIOUS SHOTS – US AIR FORCE B-52 STRATOFORTRESS STRATEGIC BOMBER APPROACHING KC-135 STRATOTANKER REFUELLING AIRCRAFT
(00:10) VARIOUS SHOTS – BOOM OPERATOR WORKING CONTROLS TO REFUEL AIRCRAFT
(00:23) VARIOUS SHOTS – B-52 BEING REFUELLED
(00:29) CLOSE UP – BOOM OPERATOR
(00:32) WIDE SHOTS – B-52 FALLING BACK AFTER REFUELLING
(00:48) VARIOUS SHOT – KC-135 COCKPIT
(00:55) TIME LAPSE: KC-135 TAKE-OFF AS SEEN FROM COCKPIT
(01:21) VARIOUS SHOTS – B-1B LANCER BOMBERS STATIONED AT UK ROYAL AIR FORCE FAIRFORD AS PART OF BOMBER TASK FORCE EUROPE
(01:51) VARIOUS SHOTS – B-1B LANCERS ARRIVING AT RAF FAIRFORD IN OCTOBER 2021
(02:08) VARIOUS SHOTS – B-1B LANCERS TAKE OFF FROM RAF FAIRFORD ON A NIGHT MISSION
(02:25) SOUNDBITE (English) – LIEUTENANT COLONEL NATHAN “GRIZ” JENKINS, COMMANDER, BOMBER TASK FORCE EUROPE DETACHMENT
“Bomber Task Force rotations happen a few times a year to forward locations such as Guam and/or Fairford. Also, recently, the 9th Bomb Squadron went to Norway last spring. So we go out a couple times a year, and really we’re here to integrate with our local partners and our Allies to try and build relationships, get better at working together and integrating and communicating with them, and then obviously demonstrating our readiness and meeting the combatant commander’s objectives that he has for the theatre.”
(02:54) SOUNDBITE (English) – LIEUTENANT COLONEL NATHAN “GRIZ” JENKINS, COMMANDER, BOMBER TASK FORCE EUROPE DETACHMENT
“The B-1 and the B-52 provide a very strategic deterrence role for the United States military, for the United States Air Force. Specifically, the B-1 is more focused towards conventional, long-range strategic deterrence portion, considering we’re a non-nuclear platform, and really trying to integrate with our local partners and Allies from a conventional deterrence perspective is what we provide for the B-1.”
(03:17) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) LIEUTENANT COLONEL NATHAN “GRIZ” JENKINS, COMMANDER, BOMBER TASK FORCE EUROPE DETACHMENT
“So for this rotation we started with – our first mission out was to fly to Lithuania and integrate with the Lithuanian Special Forces JTACs [Joint Terminal Attack Controllers], then from there we returned to Germany where we did a hot-pit refuelling at Spangdahlem Air Force Base. We used a VIPER refuelling kit, which is a new capability the Air Force has to minimise the logistical footprint we need. And then we landed back here. From there, we’ve also flown to the Black Sea and integrated with Turkish tankers, also with United Sates Navy vessels that are in the Black Sea. We’ve done some conventional support to [simulated] nuclear operations off the Adriatic coast in Italy. And of note, recently, last week, we had 10 Norwegian LNOs [Liaison Officers] here. We did two different integration roles with F-35s, F-16s, Norwegian SOF [Special Operations Forces] and the Norwegian Navy.”
(04:02) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) LIEUTENANT COLONEL NATHAN “GRIZ” JENKINS, COMMANDER, BOMBER TASK FORCE EUROPE DETACHMENT
“So for the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, really what it does for us is it allows us to forward-project to a new location, fly from a different spot and do different things we don’t normally do, and really gives us an opportunity to build relationships and work with those partners and Allies in the region that I can’t do from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.”
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