Sunday, May 27, 2012

The day NASA died.

NASA is the poster child for an agency whose best times appear to be in the past.

The decision made by some in the 70's to pursue a space shuttle instead of deep space exploration vehicle signalled an inward looking NASA and a NASA that failed to capture the imagination.  Now we have the wierdness that is upon us now.  We have a Democrat president that believes in big government for everything except the military and space travel, basically handing space travel over to private business.

Somehow, I really believe that he thought they would fail.

Big business wouldn't have that and won the day.

So now we won't have the embarrassing spectacle of US astronauts riding on Russian spacecraft.  But the future isn't any brighter...soon we'll have US astronauts riding on Google, IBM or Ford sponsored spacecraft.  This would be so funny if I wasn't seeing it with my own two eyes.

May 27, 2012.  The day that NASA died.

Read about Space X here.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

31st MEU Marines navigate the Okinawa jungle

Meet the CRF

NECC_CRF_FactSheet2012

CRF is comprised of units manned, trained, and equipped
to conduct, port and harbor security, high-value unit security
and escort, surveillance and reconnaissance, insertion and
extraction of small units, and command and control for
supporting and assigned units. CRF is capable of conducting
24 hour operations in all weather conditions and climates.
CRF is comprised of both the Active and Reserve
Components trained to operate in ambiguous anti-terrorism
and force protection threat environments.

Wow.

CRF is talking riverine but in essence is all security.  Think about them as a waterborne FAST company.   The Riverine guys are still talking up the old mission sets but this document put out by the Navy says it all.

"...trained to operate in ambiguous anti-terrorism and force protection threat environments."
The USMC might be forced to establish a small boat company to make up for the obvious shortfall in capabilites.

Riverine is once again dead in the conventional Navy.

UPDATE:
The document that the Navy put out shows how they've drifted into an almost pure force protection mindset for these Coastal Riverine's.
 Company
The Coastal Riverine Company (CRC) is the standard unit of action for the CRF. Companies are deployable self-sustaining units that may operate independently or in coordination with other forces. Each company has two platoons with personnel assigned for boat operations, a security team capable of conducting VBSS missions, and an Intelligence Surveillance Recon (ISR) team capable of operating unmanned vehicles and squadron-level communications equipment. Each company is equipped with four green-water capable patrol boats and four riverine/harbor security boats.
Platoon
Each platoon provides one boat crew per boat assigned, a 12-person security team trained and equipped to conduct Level I and Level II boardings, and an ISR team to act as an integrated tactical operations center. Platoons may be divided into smaller units such as embarked security teams to support military sealift transits, aircraft security missions, or other missions as directed.Expeditionary Security Detachments
In order to provide fleet commanders with a persistent presence of embarked security teams (EST), the CRF forward deploys two expeditionary security detachments. The detachments are assigned under the CORIVGRU
No where is the standard riverine mission talked about.

Maritime Expeditionary Security Force along with SOCOM with a big dash of help from the Riverine's themselves has helped killed the force.

IT IS ALL SECURITY ALL THE TIME.

Coastal Riverine Force. Defense will trump offense.

Hmmm.

This new boat is stirring up the Naval Blogging Community.

People are fired up over the "mixing" of Riverine and Maritime Security Communities.

Everyone thinks this is a good idea.

STOP.

THINK.

LOOK AT IT OBJECTIVELY.

The Riverine mission as the "old" Riverine Force conducted it is now dead.  The Maritime Expeditionary Security mission will become paramount.

Just take a look at this high profile acquisition in the form of the Mark VI Patrol Boat.  That is designed for Harbor Security.  Escort of vehicles out at sea and to bring them back in.  Maybe it can also be used to visit and board ships.

It ain't designed to go down rivers.  It isn't setup in the classic riverine fashion.

With the CRF, the riverine mission is dead.  Force protection is the way of the future.

I find it interesting that Special Boat's claims a riverine mission set as its own and now the Navy has pushed the one conventional unit that was doing it out of the way and moved them to force protection.  I personally have no opinion one way or the other about it.

But I do know that this unit WILL NOT have an offensive capability. 

Friday, May 25, 2012

Scout Sniper Static Live Fire

The missile the LCS needs.


Everyone is still going crazy over the LCS.

Its here, its not going anywhere so how do we make it effective?

Quite simply you add the Harpoon missile to its decks.

The Harpoon is combat proven, has a range of 280 kilometers and is in service now.  Suddenly your underarmed, lightly crewed warship turns into a high speed pocket destroyer that can fulfill multiple missions.

Safe Boats Mark VI Patrol Boat.


Thanks for the article LEE...

via Navy Times...read the entire article at their site.
SAFE Boats International has won a competition to build a new class of patrol boats for the Navy’s Naval Expeditionary Combat Command, the company announced Thursday.
The 85-foot-long Mark VI patrol boat is intended to expand the operating area of Navy patrol craft farther off shore, supplanting and replacing existing craft such as the 68-foot Mark IV and 34-foot Sea Ark patrol boats.
The $30.5 million SAFE Boat contract award is for five new patrol boats, with an option for a sixth — which, if exercised, would add another $6 million to the contract’s value.
Ultimately, the Navy intends to buy 48 Mark VIs.
Well well.

Looks like those quiet guys in the Maritime Expeditionary Security Force are about to get not only an expanded mission but also some new toys.

This is a proper patrol boat, it seems adequately armed and should get the job done.  Its a SAFE Boat so you know its tough and will operate in almost any but the absolutely worst sea states.

I like it.

UFC 146 - Junior Dos Santos Vs Frank Mir




This weekend baby!  

Check out that arm going pop!  One's a beast...the other a savage.  


THIS SHOULD BE A GREAT FIGHT!