A big push to get more people into trucking went on and now we're seeing a bunch of accidents/goofy-bad stuff on the streets...

Trucker threading the needle to avoid an accident
byu/railker innextfuckinglevel

Has anyone paid attention to certain professions? We seem to have a bowwave of people employed. So many in fact that we saw layoffs in those fields just a few years ago. Now? Now they're so understaffed that we've seen big pushes into the industry. That applies to a whole host of professions. Nursing. Aircraft manufacturing. Teaching. Oh and trucking. In the trucking field we're seeing a whole bunch of accidents/goofy shit happening on the streets. My bigger concern (although that's concerning enough) are the ones that affect people in their most vulnerable state. Doctors. Nurses. Teachers (I list kids as being vulnerable because they're like unwritten books that you can place any info into). I don't believe in managed societies but maybe we should consider properly managing our professions in the future?

Hamas gunmen opened fire at Gazan civilians — allegedly for stealing.....THIS IS WHO THEY PROTEST FOR!!!

 

Long spill before. Let me change it up. If criminals are caught performing horrendous crimes they aren't covered by the Geneva Convention. With that said, the criminals that accompanied Hamas on Oct 7 (when did we legalize a known terrorist organization....cartels are quasi governmental too so why aren't they recognized?) should face military punishment in the field right?

Marine Corps Commandant @ Modern Day Marine...

Byron told me to watch the CMC's testimony in front of Congress.  He warned me that it was a big nothing burger.  I watched it anyway and it was as described.

All those fucking Congress Critters and not a damn one asked the hard questions.  Not one of those idiotic, pampered so called leaders had the courage to do their jobs.

They praised the CMC, praised each other, the CMC praised them on what a great job they all were doing.

It was fucking disgusting.

Hope springs eternal.

I thought ok.  Maybe I'm just a dumbass and that just wasn't the right venue for him to talk about the hard shit.

Maybe he'll open his mouth at Modern Day Marine and stop playing politician and start talking plainly.

I called myself a dumbass?  Naw bro.  I was a fucking idiot to think that he would come correct.

More useless platitudes, more talk about the legacy Corps while he's pushing full speed ahead with this abomination that they're building.

Mark my words.

This new Marine Corps will get its shit pushed in.  We will run out of body bags and the mothers of America will be crying their eyes out.

I tried.  I fucking quit.  These fuckers can get what they fucking get.  Only Marines that count are those in the game?  Ok.  Hope you fuckers are ready to play cause I can sit at this keyboard and rip apart that Littoral Regiment without even trying hard.  The Chinese will ass rape that thing into oblivion.

The only thing I ask of these ass hats is to change the name of the organization.  They tarnish what has come before and since they don't give a fuck then complete the re-missioning and rebranding.

Open Comment Post. 10 May 24

Now this is an interesting obstacle course

 

Tak pokonują tor przeszkód #OSF NAJLEPSI! Jest moc! 💪🏻

📍Zamość, 3 Batalion Zmechanizowany, Mistrzostwa Dowództwa Generalnego RSZ gr 4 - 18 Dywizja Zmechanizowana pic.twitter.com/J3JjTqLpn0

— 18 Dywizja Zmechanizowana (@Zelazna_Dywizja) May 10, 2024

Open Comment Post. 9 May 24

 

101st begins transformation to "Mobile" Brigade Combat Teams

How did the US Army get their transformation so right and the USMC get it so fucked up? I'm watching both services and I'm amazed. The US Army has given up NO capabilities yet is simultaneously swinging full bore to the Pacific while at the same time adding to their Airborne/Air Assault/Light Infantry. Their armored forces are modernizing too. The Marine Corps? Naw. The whole damn thing was torn down by rogue transformationalist and the failed and flawed defense battalion concept of WW2 was rebranded/reborn. The USMC has become ultra-regional and single foe focused while the US Army is setup to take all comers. Bad days in Marine land and the Army is drinking our kool-aide.

Soldiers assigned to 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Strike, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) fielded and tested a prototype of the Mobile Brigade Combat Team as part of the Army's Transformation in contact during Operation Lethal Eagle 24.1 at Fort Campbell, Ky., from April 11 2024 through April 30, 2024. The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), is one of the Army’s first units to prototype the mobile brigade combat team (MBCT) concept. The MBCT will be lighter and more lethal while providing increased mobility to close combat forces. The Army is undertaking its most significant transformation in more than 40 years to dominate large-scale combat operations in multi domain environments. Through Continuous Transformation, the Army will maintain dominance against rapidly evolving and emerging threats in an era of dynamic change in the character of war.

TRML-4D mobile radar stations

Starliner Crew Flight Test mission overview

Leonardo DRS

 

Are you fucking kidding me MARSOC? Hamas just used para-gliders to murder Israelis and now you tout this as a new capability?

 

Marine Special Operations Paragliding Capabilities Emerge At Demonstration In Tampa

Paragliding Marines went on a mock drone hunt at the event, but this is a capability that could be valuable for a host roles.

Story: https://t.co/POX5XaMryq

— Tyler Rogoway (@Aviation_Intel) May 8, 2024

MARSOC can't read the fucking room. The IDF is involved in a war against Hamas terrorist that used this same "capability" to murder Israelis at a music festival and now you roll this out? Have you bastards been pulling so many triggers that you can't see that this probably isn't the time to have US Special Operations, especially MARINE CORPS SPECIAL OPS imitating what a bunch of terrorist did? GEEZ! You guys are awesome but sometimes you come up short in the commonsense department. Oh and I know I'm gonna get flamed on this take but I stand on all ten on this one. Let Navy SEALs roll this out. Even Green Berets but not you guys. BAD BAD BAD LOOK!

Late Open Comment Post. 8 May 24

 

B-Roll: Balikatan 24 – ACVs Conduct Waterborne Gunnery Live-Fire

U.S. Marines Corps amphibious combat vehicles attached to Battalion Landing Team 1/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, launch from the amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LDS 49) to conduct a waterborne gunnery live-fire range during Exercise Balikatan 24 at Oyster Bay, Philippines, May 4, 2024. BK 24 is an annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Lance Cpl. Peyton Kahle, Sgt. Patrick Katz, and Gunnery Sgt. Antonio Campbell)

Balikatan 24: ACV Operations Aboard USS Harpers Ferry

Hyundai Rotem to supply wheeled apcs to Peru (K808)

A bit stunning. Once we would have simply been notified of the need and whoever was the pick of the liter manufacturer would turn to building them, kick backs all around and its a done deal. I'm pleased to see them doing it right but at the same time I kinda view it as a symptom of diminishing US influence RIGHT IN OUR OWN BACKYARD! We focus so hard on the needs of Europe that we forget we have HOME and our OWN neighborhood to pay attention to, not to MENTION the economic powerhouse of the globe that is the Pacific countries! 

Side note. Many tremble at the idea of a powerful China. What should leave you in a cold sweat is the idea of all those Pacific nations putting aside their generational despites and forming an economic/military alliance. If that EVER happens we will pray for the good ole days of Genghis Khan.  I admit its not probable but we're heading into an age of nation "blocs".  Alliances aren't formed during good times.  They're formed when you see trouble ahead or its already at your doorsteps.

 

South Korea’s (🇰🇷) Hyundai Rotem has officially announced they have been selected for the @EjercitoPeru’s (🇵🇪) 8x8 competition.

Hyundai will supply 30x K808 White Tiger wheeled armored personnel carriers for a total of $60 million. pic.twitter.com/MnDg3REOBS

— SA Defensa (@SA_Defensa) May 3, 2024

Hyundai Rotem is laying the foundations for expansion in the markets of Central and South America.
Hyundai Rotem will deliver 30 of the K808 White Tiger 8x8 wheeled armored vehicles to the Peruvian Army through STX company.
This is the first export of an 8x8 wheeled armored… pic.twitter.com/d2fDYcyfNh

— Junsupreme (@RyszardJonski) May 3, 2024

The Marine Corps That Should Have Been....THIS IS A MUST READ GENTLEMEN!!!!!

 Via Real Clear Defense

Say what one wants about the Israeli incursion into Gaza, but not a single rocket or missile has been fired from what is left of it since the start of fighting. Compare this with the relative ineffectiveness of American efforts stop Yemen's Houthis from slinging missiles at shipping in the Red Sea. The difference is simply geography. The Israelis simply have to cross fencing and concrete barriers to directly confront their attackers, the Palestinians of Hamas.

If U.S. wanted to launch such a large scale punitive operation against the Houthis, it would have to be done from the sea with a large scale amphibious assault. An amphibious assault of this scale, requiring sea borne tanks, assault engineers and bridging capabilities that have been divested by the U.S. Marine Corps. Instead, the Marine Corps is building a defensive force built around anti-ship missiles designed primarily to contain the Chinese Navy.

This is a good one folks!  A MUST READ!

Check it out here, tell your friends then swing back around and let's talk about this! 

The IDF is still singing the praises of the Eitan APC...

Don't know how to class this beast. It's bigger than a Bradley in both size and weight, hell it even makes the Boxer look small!

via Ynetnews

At that critical moment of battles against Hamas terrorists, Major A. made several dramatic decisions, that saved communities like Kibbutz Kerem Shalom. One of them was exceptional: to bring all the heavy Eitan APCs from a base in the southern part of the country to the combat zones and deploy them as a barrier between the terrorists’ infiltration routes and the communities close to the border.

He made the decision despite the fact the vehicles had not yet been operationally integrated into the unit, and he doubted whether the soldiers would know how to operate and handle them to the required level. 

Since then, the new APCs have been increasingly utilized in combat in Gaza, led by the Nahal soldiers. Initially, they mainly served for the rapid extraction of wounded from the battlefield, but subsequently, as proficiency with them increased, they were also used for operational incursions deep into the war zone. The new Eitan APC is characterized by high "off-road" capabilities and especially by its speed, which allows it to evade Hamas anti-tank rockets. 

Here 

Question.

What isn't Hamas doing that we've seen is making a difference on the battlefield?

Hamas isn't using small drones for recon and attack...especially on IDF armor.

Sidenote.  Why aren't we seeing BIG TIME WORK on anti-drone weapons from the US Army for armored vehicles...I don't care if its software to make existing guns more capable of anti-air work, we've got to get this done!

Back to Major A.

Dude did good work.  He realized the command staff was either captured, dead or soon to be.  He took command, deployed his vehicles and fought them effectively.

I look forward to reading the unclassified after action.

Enhancing Marine Corps Capabilities: ACV training course

Is it just chance or a plan? We've been seeing a whole bunch of stuff on the ACV lately. Is it because the debate about Force Design 2030 is still raging and the backers of that abomination are still trying to push the idea that the USMC is still capable of "force in readiness" missions? As a sidenote. When was the last time we heard the words "amphibious assault" coming from HQMC?

 

Open Comment Post. 5 May 24

 

Saw this post online & makes me wonder why our advancement has slowed down...

 

Saw that on X and it made me sit back in my chair.

That's actually factually correct.  Development of all kinds has slowed dramatically.  Did you know that the time period between the first flight of the Wright Brothers and the moon landing took place in what?  About 60 odd years?

As far as military aviation let's be honest.

We've been riding the coattails of the designers from the 70's and mid 80's for decades now.

WTF happened to us?  

Why is mankind stalling out?

Are we still progressing but its all black programs now?

I have no answers but from what we can see, something is wrong.