RIMPAC | Artillery Raid (vid)

Sorry Gun Guys. Open carry is unnecessarily provocative and needs to be regulated!

Above you see photos from the RNC Convention which will be closing tonight. This should be an eye opener for everyone.  Do you see how many are carrying those weapons?  The guys wearing the pistols are walking around with pistols that are designed for concealed carry outside the waist!  That's a fact people.  Just because you see guys hitting the range with that type of kydex holster doesn't mean that it meets standards for wear in public.

First its not snatch resistant.  Those holsters hold guns in place by the tension that one applies with screws to keep the gun in place.  A 250 pound assailant that takes you by surprise, does a California prison take down on you (just a brutal running tackle from behind), then he will walk away with your weapon before you know what happened....if you're lucky.

Drop down to the guy in the bottom pic in the blue garb.  That sling is all kinds of messed up, he doesn't have the awareness to control his weapon as it flops down around his knees....its just wrong!  The guy in the white shirt is at least showing a bit of understanding in the way that he's carrying his gun.

Long story short?

Every group attracts extremist that take away from the core message and hurt the cause.

Open carry advocates are that group when it comes to gun rights!

Walking around with weapons in plain sight is unnecessarily provocative, tends to be unregulated, gives license to prohibited persons to carry without challenge AND is killing our agenda.  The NRA needs to come out against unregulated open carry.  Call me a turn coat but it doesn't promote personal security and eventually the bad guys will view open carriers as supply points.

NAXIT (NATO Exit) An Idea Whose Time Has Come?

Story here.

Jesus!  The author of this article proposing that the US withdraw from NATO is the Research Chair at the US Army's Command and General Staff College.  He's also a retired Naval Officer.

Something weird is happening people.

Once only minor blogs like this one would even broach the idea.  Now we're seeing it on USNI Blog?  While I'm sure USNI is trying to regain its rep by posting provocative articles, its still stunning that they had the balls to actually do it.

Between this article and Trump's rhetoric it appears that the idea of the US getting tired of paying for other people's defense is gaining traction.

Stealth Logistic Support Vessel Project

Story here.

By US Navy standards this is a small ship...but I wonder.  Are we building over sized vessels?  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  If you're going to do "Dis-aggregated MEU's" then we should be building many Mistral BPC's instead of large deck amphibs and LPDs.  In other words we should have many 18,000 ton LHDs instead of a few 40,000 ton L class aircraft carriers.

Procurement isn't matching planning.

Get ready. Another police shooting of a black man with his hands up. Updated!

via Heavy.com (click on the link to watch the video)

Kinsey told the news station that after a few minutes, one of the officers shot him in the leg. The officer fired three times, hitting Kinsey once.
“I’m like this right here, and when he shot me, it was so surprising,” said Kinsey, who had his arms raised in the air while talking to a WSVN reporter from his hospital bed Wednesday. “I thought it was a mosquito bite, and when it hit me I had my hands in the air, and I’m thinking I just got shot! And I’m saying, ‘Sir, why did you shoot me?’ and his words to me were, ‘I don’t know.’”
Kinsey said that after he was shot he was handcuffed and left bleeding in the street.

Some of you say BLM is a terrorist group.  I disagree.  I think that they're bought and owned by the Democrat party but not terrorists.

We can agree to disagree on that.  But if we're going to say that the police needs to be up armed to deal with trained shooters then we have to balance that and say that when we see a bad police shoot then the offending LEO should go to jail.

When its as clear cut like this incident then the idea of an investigation taking weeks or even months is stupid.  The public should be informed, and justice should be swift.  IF THE OFFICER IS FOUND TO BE NOT GUILTY then its up to the Public Affairs Officers in each dept to explain to the public why.

This is really simple stuff.  If you have an oh shit moment with a firearm then you pay the price.  I don't get to make mistakes with my personal weapon and LEOs don't get to with their duty weapons.

Side note:  I wonder if this is a response to the recent assaults on police in Baton Rouge and Dallas?  Was this guy quick on the trigger because of what happened there?  Did he think that this was a setup for an ambush?  I don't see how that's possible.  If this was their beat they would know that a mental health facility was nearby.  What we don't know is the latest intel briefings that police are getting.  Have they been warned of more complex, better planned assaults against LEOs?

I need more info on this.  It still looks bad but the second bite of this apple leaves me with some questions.

Interesting. Russian Intel warned the Turkish President of the coup attempt.

via Sputnik

According to Iranian media, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was warned by Russian intelligence of an imminent coup just hours before tanks appeared in the streets of Istanbul and Ankara last Friday.

Last week, the Russian army intercepted Turkish military communications that indicated a coup was being organized against the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Fars News. This information was then passed on to Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), diplomatic sources told the news agency.

Jesus H. Christ!

The Turks have backstabbed the Russians more times than I can count yet they still warn the guy of a coup attempt?  Even more curious is that with the warning the plotters got as close as they did to success and if a pilot had the force of conviction then they could have downed his airplane!

There are more twists and turns in the game being played in the Middle East than I care to try and keep up with.

One thing is certain.

This is about ISIS.  ISIS is a tool.  We haven't defeated them because we don't want to defeat them.

India moves a Tank Brigade (+) to the border with China....Watch this carefully!

via Sputnik.

With tensions rising between China and India, New Delhi has deployed nearly 100 tanks to its eastern border.

The mountainous region of Ladakh, in northern India, lies in a tense location between disputed Kashmir and Tibet. In an effort to boost its military presence in the area, the Indian military has sent Russian-made T-72 tanks to Ladakh’s Chinese border.
"The vast flat valleys along the mountain ranges allow for armored movement; besides, there has been an increase in the force levels across the border," an unnamed military official told NDTV.

This!  This is what I've been shouting about.  Name the 3 natural enemies that China has in the region.  Give up?  Let me help you out...Vietnam, Japan and India.

Japan is already in our orbit, Vietnam is fiercely independent but they see the threat of China and have kicked Chinese ass in the past which leaves India.

No one talks about it much and for some reason both the Chinese and the Indian govts downplay incidents there but the clashes have been ongoing.

If you want to successfully contain China then India MUST be part of the mix.  What has me confused is this move.  To deploy a 100 tanks to the border with China is an "in your face move".  The Chinese will of course match this move (at the least) which means that we will have two highly mechanized, armored forces operating across fuzzy, disputed borders at the top of the world. Interesting times indeed.  

Something weird is going on with the F-35.

Thanks to Joe for the link!

via Defense News.

Drawn out contractual negotiations for lots 9 and 10 of the F-35 have left Lockheed Martin paying out of pocket for joint strike fighter costs, the company disclosed July 19.
Lockheed has spent nearly $1 billion to pay out suppliers who have already started doing work on F-35 low rate initial production (LRIP) lots 9 and 10, the company’s chief financial officer Bruce Tanner said Tuesday during a quarterly earnings call.
The defense prime is banking on the government to either finalize a contract — worth approximately $14 billion for more than 140 aircraft, according to the Pentagon — or to authorize a undefinitized contractual action, or UCA.
“If we don't either get funding through a funding mechanism such as a UCA funding item or we definitize the contracts, we will not be able to continue and have that level of cash outflow as a corporation,” Tanner said. “We simply don't have that capacity. The Pentagon clearly knows that situation, and I'm optimistic that we're going to get cash soon.”
Because a definitized LRIP 9 and 10 contract would likely include incentives for performance, it would likely generate greater amounts of funding than a UCA, he said.
“We don’t care, frankly, how we get the cash,” Tanner added.

How long have they been arguing about lots 9 and 10?  How many stories have you read that they were close to award?  How many times have we been told about price reduction efforts on the part of Lockheed Martin?

Now we hear that due to drawn out negotiations Lockheed Martin is paying out of pocket?

This is interesting!

I wonder what the real story is here.  Something is not adding up....F-35 fan boys are chest thumping about the airplane coming down in price but they can't get the freaking deal done?

I'm betting that its not as rosy as the club house kids want us to believe and I'm betting that the Pentagon is finally asking Lockheed Martin to take a haircut.

Chinese tanks in the assault (pics) via China Defense Blog

More here.

This is interesting.

Why?

Because we have this story from DoD Buzz that talks about the USAF wanting a "Super A-10".  The Pentagon theorists that pushed the meme of generational war against terrorists were wrong.  We're zooming toward a full on nation state affair (or close to it) that will see combined arms forces facing off.  Armor will be a highlight of those fights.

Neller has seen the future (he talked about having to seize a port...he's talked about the "big fight") but curiously he's still allowing the Company Landing Team concept to go forward and still giving lip service to Marines on alternate transports.  The longer we keep chasing those fairy tales the less time we'll have to gear up for the real future fight.

Terrorist attack Syrian Army Tank ...

Thanks to Pete for the link!



Story here.

Hey all.  It goes against US policy but I'm officially cheering for Assad and the Russians in the fight against the "Free Syrian Army".

I have never trusted those clowns, and now I despise them.  They're all terrorists and there is no such thing as a "moderate" among them.  The fiction that our govt is selling is too hard a pill to swallow.

What is the actual aim?  I'm not sure but I do find it interesting that the Obama admin is basically following the Neo-Con playbook in the Middle East.

Assad can be contained.  Saddam was contained.  Qaddafi was even trying to cooperate with the West.  If you understand why we're so anxious to topple/have toppled these govt then do me a favor and get me up to speed.

Where I'm sitting it lunacy.  But back on task.  How can a grenade cause that much damage?  He tossed it down the barrel of the gun?  This doesn't seem right.  What am I missing?

Equipping police to deal with trained shooters.

I've come full circle when it comes to what many call police militarization.  My mistake?  I didn't take into account how widely once close held information has spread.  There was a time when you had to join the Marine Corps or the Army to get the basics on proper fire and maneuver...decent weapons handling skills and even learning how to engage fleeting targets effectively.

Those days are long past.

So what do we do?  Since I don't want my Second Amendment Rights restricted (any more than they have been), we owe it to Police to properly equip them if for no other reason than officer survival.

So what do I recommend?  How about we take it by the numbers!

1.  Overhead Racks for Tactical Weapons.

How can a no body civilian that's a gun guy have better gear than professional law enforcement?  Everyone and there mommies (really, some mothers actually have these in their jeeps) has an overhead rack for their tactical weapons...AR-15's for the everyday bubba out there.  The idea that with the types of assaults on officers that we're seeing that they're gonna be able to grab their keys, go to their trunks and drag their weapon out in time to employ it effectively is craziness!  People I know have overhead racks just in case they run across a wild critter in the back 40.  The police should have the same.

2.  Every officer has an AR-15.

I jumped the gun with my list.  Before we get them racks for their weapons they need to have one!  Check out the pic above.  What do you see that's all jacked up?  Yeah.  The majority of the officers don't have rifles.  Quite honestly the best that they could hope for is that the two guys that do have weapons would be able to suppress the shooter and if they were being aggressive then MAYBE the pistol wielders could maneuver for a kill shot.  Considering the fact that I don't see any Active Shooter Bags being worn, Chest Rigs, etc...that means that the 30 rounds that the riflemen are carrying is all they've got.



3.  Active Shooter Bags.

This list is getting all jumbled but I'm pulling it out of my ass so forgive me.  Speaking of a lack of ammo in my number 2 post.  Each officer needs to have an Active Shooter Bag.  Besides spare mags (I would recommend 6 for every patrol officer) it would also carry a first aid kit (dump the tourniquet...we're not dealing with IEDs...yet...and get a CELOX A Applicator for every guy) and spare flex cuffs (from my study of civilian and police shootings you always have someone act irrationally and want to stop the violence....you will need to restrain them once you put down the threat).

4.  Decent Optics.

I saw too many pics of the incidents in Baton Rouge and Dallas where police that did have rifles were using iron sights.  That is so last two decades.  Every civilian shooter that's beyond rookie status uses optics.  To bring our LEOs into the modern age, they need to have them too.

Summary.

I've gone from being a critic of police "militarization" to believing that its basic survival now.  Too many unhinged people have knowledge that was once had by a few.  The first step is to make sure local law enforcement is properly equipped.  Am I worried about gun seizures?  Nope.  That wet fantasy is beyond the ability of the US military to even carry out.  I've never dabbled in the black market when it comes to firearms but I've been told that if you know the right people in Houston or Dallas you can get almost anything short of an anti-tank missile (assuming you have the cash) so no, gun confiscation is not a worry.

What is a worry is the idea of another one of these maniac shooters getting a buddy and they form a mini-fire team that goes after law enforcement.  What is a worry is that these clowns actually get serious about doing the deed and plan/practice getting it done.  This is before we even start talking about ISIS.

Law enforcement militarization isn't a thing anymore.  Its about survival now.  

China's CT3 command and reconnaissance vehicle via IHS Janes.

Story here.

Watch the Red Dragon tribe members!  The vehicles are immaterial.  Its the widgets that are being developed for them that matter!  A most mounted surveillance system?  High resolution cameras, KU Band Radar and a laser range finder?

We're seeing test beds (in service test beds) for future armored vehicles.  It all comes back to size and weight constraints to see how far down they push some of these systems but even a Platoon assigned to a Chinese version of our Marine Expeditionary Units, along with them having comparable air assets will see the advantage that they possess expand....especially if we continue down the road of Company Landing Teams.  I still contend that CLTs are designed to fight a battle that no longer exists.  If we still faced insurgent groups circa 2012 then they would be viable.  We don't.  Today's insurgents operate in a quasi combined arms team manner and CLTs just won't stand up.

Watch the Red Dragon and take notes.  They're going mech heavy and they're looking to overwhelm our forces with fire, shock and maneuver.

Lynx KF31 and Lynx KF41 Family of Vehicles.

Lynx Command and Control

Lynx Recce

Lynx APC

Lynx Recovery

Lynx Ambulance

Muddy Snot Bubbles courtesy of the Quantico Swamp! Photo by Lance Cpl. Jose Villalobosrocha

Muddy Snot Bubbles!  Clears the sinuses and sharpens the mind!

It has begun. ISIS has launched its summer offensive in Europe.

Thanks to Ferder and Bart for the link!

via Metro.uk

A woman and her three daughters have been stabbed in a French resort for being ‘scantily dressed’.
An eight-year-old girl was left fighting for her life after the attack in the Garde-Colombe in the Hautes-Alpes region of Southern France.
The man is believed to have attacked the three girls outside the family’s apartment before entering the building and attacking the mother.
Jean-Marc Duprat, a deputy mayor for the town of Laragne-Monteglin in the Hautes-Alpes region said the suspect, who is not related to them, was upset they were wearing shorts and T-shirts.
He’s believed to have met the family earlier in the week and was staying next door.
The girls are believed to be aged eight, 12 and 14 while their mother is 46. The knifeman is alleged to have fled the scene by car before being arrested.

You don't even have to think about this....just watch the news.  The ISIS summer offensive in Europe has begun.

Note:  I wonder if we will eventually see the same in Europe that we see in the Middle East.  "Fighting Seasons".

Pics of the Baton Rouge shooter engaging police. Pics via Vice News.

Note:  After seeing these pics, I have to reassess.  First this was a pure ambush.  Second patrol officers will be operating from behind the power curve with a trained assailant...they would need to be operating on clear comms, maneuvering like madmen while laying down cover fire...I don't think current rules of engagement for law enforcement would allow guys armed with handguns to effectively take on a trained guy armed with an assault rifle unless they're given more latitude with stray rounds.  Last I can't quite make it out but it doesn't look like this guy was prepared for an extended firefight.  I have yet to see additional magazines...is this also a case of suicide by cop?  This guy was trained but his preparation was lacking.  Remember the AR was left in the car.  I don't know if he was carrying his handgun but equipping himself with additional AR mags seems a no brainer.  What was the thinking here?  Was this suppose to be a hit and run?

The purge in Turkey is touching every part of their govt.

TURKEY: List of the massive numbers involved in the #TurkeyPurge following failed coup. - @ashishjena94pic.twitter.com/elnmyynoaa

— Conflict News (@Conflicts) July 19, 2016

NORINCO VN2C armoured personnel carrier

via IHS Janes

China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) has developed the 6x6 VN2C mine-resistant vehicle.
The VN2C bears a physical resemblance to the company's widely deployed 6x6 WMZ-551 armoured personnel carrier (APC), which is still being marketed in a wide range of configurations and weapons.
The baseline VN2C is fitted with a one-person turret armed with a 12.7 mm machine gun (MG) and a 7.62 mm co-axial MG provided with 500 rds and 1,000 rds of ammunition respectively.
The turret is also equipped with eight electrically operated grenade launchers in a four by two arrangement. Other turrets can also be accommodated if desired.
The crew consists of the commander, driver, gunner, and eight dismounts who can rapidly enter and leave via a large power-operated ramp in the hull rear.
The rear troop compartment is provided with bullet/splinter-proof vision blocks and associated firing ports to enable some of the dismounts to fire their weapons from within the vehicle.
The VN2C has a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 19 tonnes and is powered by a diesel engine developing 402 hp (300 kW), which provides a power-to-weight ratio of 21.15 hp/tonne.

Turkish warships missing after coup attempt.

Thanks to whoever sent me this info.  I deleted your e-mail before I got your name to credit you.  Sorry.

via Independent

Several Turkish navy ships are still unaccounted for, their commanders suspected to be among the plotters who sought to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Admiral Veysel Kosele, the commander of the Turkish navy, has not been heard from since the failed coup on Friday, a source told The Times.
It is currently unknown whether he was part of the coup or was tricked on to the boat after coup plotters told him there was a terrorist attack and then taken hostage, local media reports suggested.

14 missing ships and its not front page news?  The drama in Turkey is NOT over.  Something evil brews there and more blood will be spilled.

No popcorn for this drama.  Just shots of Jack Daniel to enjoy the fireworks.

Unspeakable barbarity. Free Syrian Army Rebels (the guys we're supporting) behead captured 12 year old child soldier (GRAPHIC VID!)

Thanks to Drinas for the link!

18+ Shortly after taunting the child solider, US-backed #FSA rebels brutally behead him. #Handarat #Syria pic.twitter.com/xv6kmXzaOn

— H e b a (@HKX07) July 19, 2016

More here.

These are the rebels that we support?  How bad is it that when you see a grown man toss a child on the bed of a pickup you're hoping in vain that he'll only be raped and not killed?

Its past time to let Assad retain power, to let Turkey turn into the hole that's it obviously wants to be and to wash our hands of the Middle East.

From my chair Israel is the only country that is worth having relations with.

UPDATE!
My buddy over at "The Base Leg", Mike Yeo tells me that this particular group in the above vid is no vetted or supported. My view remains unchanged.