101st Large Scale, Long Range Air Assault (vid)

 

The US Army with its 101st Air Assault, 82nd Airborne, 10th Mountain & 18th Airborne Corps are now America's premier crisis response/rapid deployment force. They possess more organic ground mobility & ground based firepower than any US Marine Corps Regiment.

For better or worse the leadership of the Marine Corps has transformed it into a missile firing naval infantry outfit with little staying power and limited ability to project power from the sea.

My prediction?

You will soon see the 101st crowding out Marines aboard amphibious assault ships to actual retain that ability for Combatant Commanders.

Recon/Counter Recon is just not valuable OR viable in a peer conflict and absolutely useless when it comes to actually putting fires on target.

You don't need a service to do recon.  You just need a few drones.

The US Army got it right.

Atrocities photographed in the Second Sino-Japanese War (NSFW)

This happened about 80 years ago. Asia has a long memory so do you now understand why building a "NATO in the pacific" is so hard? The brutality that Imperial Japanese forces inflicted on the populations of the region and especially the Chinese is seared into the souls of the people there. Peaceful co-existence is achieving alot. This is one region where pushing "interests" and stoking old pain could quickly turn terrible for all involved.

 

Atrocities photographed in the Second Sino-Japanese War, (NSFL)
byu/Iron_Cavalry inwwiipics

Tired of hearing the whining about Ukraine. What is your solution?

 I've looked at the war in Ukraine.  I stated that the manner in which it is being fought makes no sense.  The model for supplying Ukraine with arms is broken at best, unsustainable and even if it was would lead to a nation awash in arms but with no one to use them.

I've talked about Ukraine's finances at this point.  They're a zombie country.  A failed state in the heart of Europe.  No one that is pushing for continued fighting is looking towards the aftermath of this fight.  Win (however you define that), lose or draw, Ukraine will need to be supported for at least 20 years.  Partnering in the building of weapons is just a drop in the bucket.  Ukraine's supporters are subsidizing their entire economy.  Do you really believe that will continue?

So having said all that I posted where the German Chancellor was going to propose a peace plan.  Zelensky himself is talking about a peace plan.

Only the hawks in DC and the EU are against that...along with many readers of this blog.

So tell me what is your plan.  If you don't want to find a way to get at a peaceful resolution then tell me what we do.  Tell me how we do it without gutting our own defense capabilities and our treasuries.

Tell me wise people.

Europe is tiring of the Ukraine/Russia war...

German Chancellor Scholz is working on a peace plan with territorial concessions for Ukraine, La Repubblica reports.

— The plan may include territorial concessions from Ukraine and "does not rule out the transfer of part of Ukrainian territory to Moscow."

— Ukraine… pic.twitter.com/sZCA1CMR3X

— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 9, 2024

Been calling for this forever. I guess it took damn near losing the enter male population of Ukraine for someone to decide that enough was enough. Make no mistake. The EU alone can contain Russia and that's without US help. This was about something different. Much different.

M242 25mm Bushmaster chain guns on Light Armored Vehicles 25 during a crew-served gunnery range at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan

*No one wants to hear it but the 25mm chaingun on the Bradley's the Ukrainians have been given have proven to be quite effective against Russian armor up to and including their MBTs. I don't know how we want to classify the upcoming US Army 50mm cannon on their new IFV but it should be a game changer. Having said that I have to wonder if 30mm isn't the sweet spot as a do everything type weapon system. It would appear to be effective in the anti-air, anti-armor, anti-fortification and with airburst can provide infantry support. Could it be that if we're still looking to be "expeditionary" that 50mm is as big as we need to go? Even then on only a few select vehicles? Imagine an Abrams hull with a 50mm unmanned turret? Heavy tank protection for the crew moved to the hull with a gun big enough to handle most everything and a few missiles to get what it can't.

#Marines zero M242 25mm Bushmaster chain guns on Light Armored Vehicles 25 during a crew-served gunnery range at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, Aug. 26, 2024. pic.twitter.com/61wnKskwKv

— III MEF Marines (@IIIMEF) September 9, 2024

War drums are beating between the IDF & Hezbollah

Drone assault in northern Israel this morning is another step in the road to war. Without a ceasefire soon, this conflict could escalate drastically & very quickly 👇 https://t.co/SJHFmAPybR

— Israel Radar (@IsraelRadar_com) September 9, 2024

As if what we've already seen here and worldwide isn't enough. The thought of a major, unrestricted regional war in the Middle East is the last thing we need. If you notice we're trying to fight (at least our part of the fight) at distance using aircraft, and missiles (land based aircraft, ship based aircraft, missiles from ships). The problem is that the American empire has forces in penny packets scattered thru out the Middle East. All are potential targets and our force protection IS NOT up to the challenge. I shudder at the thought of a local garrison being targeted for an OCT 7 type raid where terrrorist attempt to take hostages and get body counts on those they can't take.

If we got more of this from Major League Baseball I'd watch it more!

 

Leaked audio of what an ejection looks like in MLB.
byu/Smiles4YouRawrX3 ininterestingasfuck

Love the conflict. Never knew such a soft looking sport could get this awesome. Give me more!

It appears (to me) that the KA-52 has been more successful in the Ukraine/Russia war than the Mi-28. What does that tell us?

No need to introduce it: Ka-52
byu/hijodesuputamadree inHelicopters

 

What does the apparent success of the KA-52 over the Mi-28 in the Ukraine/Russia war tell us?

First that speed matters at low level.  Next that the hover behind cover might be dead as a tactic (don't know if I'm saying that right).

From what I gather the KA pilots are doing it more like Marine attack helicopter pilots do their thing and the Mi are copying Army tactics.

Either way low level is getting crowded.  We've seen all kinds of pushes to make high speed "partners" for fast movers but no movement at all for making wingman for attack helicopters.

Seems to me we have that backwards.  The low level fight will be more chaotic than the high altitude thing.

From my chair the high altitude fight is more like a sniper duel.  Low level will be knife fighting.  Might be nice for the helicopter jocks to have some unmanned wingmen to take the hits while they coordinate from further back.

To take it a step further a whole fleet of unmanned attack helicopters AND unmanned anti-air helicopters might be the thing we're missing.

An unmanned AH-64 could provide anti-air cover (well a couple of them) to handle everything from drones to attack helicopters. Slam a few computers in the back of an AMPV and you have coverage for an entire brigade.  They can get multiple kills per sortie and have the speed to zoom across the entire front to get them before they get our guys on the ground.

Open Comment Post. 7 Sep 24

STK Terrex (ACV Candidate)

I can't help but believe the Terrex was a better swimmer than the vehicle we have now. Anyone have the report on the evaluation of the vehicles and how they performed in the water?

Open Comment Post. 4 Sep 24

Oshkosh S-ATV

XM800W

AAI Rapid Deployment Force Light Tank