Treating Colonel's like PFC's.

Colonel Wesley Fox.  Winner of the Congressional Medal Of Honor.

via Marine.mil.

Amos said it is important for the Corps to get back to true north.
The Marine Corps University now provides all lieutenant colonels and colonels in command a new ethics course, “Developing Ethical Leaders.” These leaders will bear the responsibility for ensuring the Marines under their charge receive and understand this course as well.

I wonder what Colonel Fox would say to this?

I would bet body parts that he would get on the horn with someone and let them know where they could take this course....additionally I bet he would wonder why the Marine Corps would promote anyone to the level of Colonel or Lt. Colonel and then require them to take this course in order to be an ethical leader or to teach ethical leadership!

The Marine Corps is broken.  Only a change of command at the top will fix it.

M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System set for cabin upgrade.

When Afghanistan is issued an after action report and lessons learned, artillery will once again be shown to have been vital.

And in keeping with that theme, the US Army is set to give the M270 a major upgrade to its cabin.

DALLAS, June 26, 2012 – Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] received a $27.1 million contract from the U.S. Army for the first phase of a three-year development program that will increase crew protection and update the Army’s fleet of Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) M270A1 mobile rocket launchers.

 

Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will upgrade, assemble and test seven prototype vehicles. Phase one is expected to be followed by a production contract for the Army’s entire fleet of 225 vehicles.

 

During this initial phase, Lockheed Martin will replace the launcher’s cab, which expands interior volume by 40 percent and incorporates new energy-absorbing seats that provides additional protection from mine blasts and improvised explosive devices. The company will also move the fire control panel to provide commonality with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher and enhance survivability through extensive armoring in the new cab.

 

“These improvements will ensure the M270-series launcher remains relevant, effective and reliable while protecting crews from new and evolving threats well into the middle of the 21^st century,” said Scott Arnold, vice president of precision fires in Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control business.

Seems like BAE and Lockheed are becoming the best of "frenemies" when it comes to contracts of this type.  Its gonna be fun to watch.  If anyone has an image of the new cab shoot it my way.

SOCOM's request for information on an Internally Transportable Vehicle is out.

Photos from Soldier Systems

Interesting.

SOCOM's request for information on its "desired" ITV is out.  You can read it here, check it out for yourself but the requirements are pretty tough.  What caught my eye immediately is that casualty evacuation is right at the top of the requirements.

That indicates (at least in my opinion) that we're seeing a merging of the Para-rescue unique requirements with those of SOCOM.

2. Casualty Transport. The vehicle shall be configured to carry three (3) litters (T), six (6) litters (O), attached to the framework of the vehicle such that the casualties will not extend horizontally outside the vehicle and rescue personnel will have access to all patients.

I complained earlier that the US military could have 3 or more ITV's.  Seems like SOCOM is attempting to do its part to fix that.

But I wonder if SOCOM isn't tipping its hand a bit.  Check out this section that covers approach and departure angles.

h. Approach Angle. Vehicle shall have an approach angle to an obstacle of not less than 50 degrees (T), 75 degrees (O).

i. Departure Angle. Vehicle shall have a departure angle of not less than 45 degrees (T), 75 degrees (O).

If you're driving a standard truck type vehicle then you're not going to make this requirement.  They're looking at HUMVEE performance specs that can fit in the back of a V-22.

This looks like its tailor made for  BC Customs.  What do you guys think? 

On reflection it also explains some of the redesign work that's been done on the former Force Protection Jamma, now General Dynamics unnamed vehicle....

This is gonna be good.  These specs aren't DARPA hard but they're pretty tough.  One other thing I want to point out is SOCOM's mission profile for the vehicle.

a. Mission Profile. Vehicle shall have a mission profile of 40% cross country, 30% trails, 20% secondary roads, and 10% primary roads.

That my friends is 70% use out in the boonies (counting secondary roads...I'm not sure how SOCOM classifies secondary roads is it US or third world standard) and perhaps up to 90%.  These trucks won't rack up hundreds of thousands of miles but you can bet the miles that they do get will leave these trucks beat the hell up.  The money in this award won't be in the actual building of the vehicles but in maintenance and service over the life of the contract! 

UPDATE:
The USAF Para-rescue vehicle RFP (Guardian Angel Air-Deployable Vehicle) is here. 

Forgotten history. The Aleutian Islands Campaign

I've been trying to bone up on my military history and instead of focusing on the "well reported" aspects of World War Two, I've been trying to read about some of the untold stories.

Amphibious assaults are of great interest so when I came across the Aleutian Island Campaign I was beyond hooked.  I was curious beyond belief.

Wikipedia has this passage on the battle for Kiska Island...

On 15 August 1943, an invasion force of 34,426 Allied troops landed on Kiska. Castner's Cutthroats were part of the force, but the invasion consisted mainly of units from the U.S. 7th Infantry Division. The force also included about 5,300 Canadians, mostly from the 13th Canadian Infantry Brigade of the 6th Canadian Infantry Division, but included the Canadian component of the 1st Special Service Force, also known as the "Devil′s Brigade".
The invaders landed to find the island abandoned. Under the cover of fog, the Japanese had successfully removed their troops on 28 July. The Army Air Force had bombed abandoned positions for almost three weeks without suspecting the Japanese were no longer there. The day before the withdrawal, the U.S. Navy fought an inconclusive and possibly meaningless Battle of the Pips 80 mi (70 nmi; 130 km) to the west.
The Japanese may have been gone, but Allied casualties on Kiska nevertheless numbered 313. All were the result of friendly fire, booby traps, disease, or frostbite. As with Attu, Kiska offered an extremely hostile environment.

Cracked magazine has a different take on it

When a Japanese task force of 500 marines swiftly invaded the U.S. occupied island of Kiska, the Americans decided to take it back with 35,000 men, having done the math and determined that bringing 70 times more troops than the enemy is the precise amount to say "fuck off."
On August 17, 1943, The U.S. Army stormed the beach of Kiska with a force of 95 ships, 168 aircraft and thousands of Captain Americas. They bombed the beaches with planes, destroyed the garrisons with heavy artillery and then the soldiers charged in, shooting everything that somehow still stood.
The allies took the island and suffered 122 casualties.
When the dust settled and the Americans stopped to reload, pat themselves on the back, count the bodies and have the compulsory talk about their girls waiting for them back home, they suddenly realized that they couldn't find any enemy corpses. Either that Japanese task force was comprised entirely of Predators or they had been bamboozled.
 Who Fucked Up?
The U.S. intelligence officers win the prize. After sending a plane and taking photos over Kiska, it looked a whole lot like it had been abandoned. And it had been--the Japanese had left the island two weeks before. Still, the decision was made to send in the troops and bring that nothing to justice rather than delaying the operation and checking to see that the enemy were actually fucking there. Good job, gentlemen.
It all could have been an amusing mistake, but only if you forget about the 122 dead. How do you lose over a hundred men in a battle with no enemy? Well, the losses included 24 from friendly fire, a stray mine destroying a ship and 47 men vanishing in the dense jungle. Though that last one actually lends credence to the Predator theory...

Either way you look at it whether serious or with a bit of humor this is a part of forgotten history that isn't taught or much talked about.  This campaign deserves more study.  I can't wait.

Waste of the taxpayers money.

Derrick Slaughter, a U.S. government contractor, teaches techniques and procedures to counter roadside bombs to U.S. Marines and Sailors of Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, as part of sustainment training ashore, June 22, 2012. The 24th MEU is deployed as part of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, a U.S. Central Command theater reserve force providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

Derrick Slaughter, a U.S. government contractor, teaches techniques and procedures to counter roadside bombs to U.S. Marines and Sailors of Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, as part of sustainment training ashore, June 22, 2012. The 24th MEU is deployed as part of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, a U.S. Central Command theater reserve force providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility

Derrick Slaughter, a U.S. government contractor, teaches techniques and procedures to counter roadside bombs to U.S. Marines and Sailors of Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, as part of sustainment training ashore, June 22, 2012. The 24th MEU is deployed as part of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, a U.S. Central Command theater reserve force providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

Tell me something.

Why isn't the Intelligence Officer giving this briefing?

How about a couple of the bubbas working in EOD?

How about a couple of combat experienced Marines that have deployed to Afghanistan, that have recieved the latest intel on what the enemy is doing?

But no....we have a governement contractor.  Nothing against the guy.  He's doing what he can to help get the Devil Dogs ready but still.  This knowledge is already in house.

Amazing!  But you do know what this is right?  Another case of cover your ass courtesy of the Department of Defense.  Idiots will label this as the Marine Corps in general and the DoD in particular doing all it can to prevent IED injuries and deaths.  Anyone with common sense will label this as waste.

Spiderman.

It looks like its going to be better than the previous movies and much better than Batman.  I wonder how many resets we're going to have to go through with these movies? 

A160 Hummingbird shot down?

The US Army shoots it down that it is.

Check out the story from Wired.

This month, the Army planned to deploy to Afghanistan an unusual new drone: an unmanned eye-in-the-sky helicopter programmed to use high-tech cameras to monitor vast amounts of territory. But now the drone might be lucky to be deployed at all, as the Army has moved to shut down production — possibly ending the program forever.
That drone would be the A160 Hummingbird, which the Army planned to equip with the powerful Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System, or Argus. But earlier this month, the Army issued a stop-work order — one step away from termination — to the drone’s developer Boeing. The reason? A high “probability of continued technical and schedule delays,” costs and risks that have “increased so significantly that program continuation is no longer in the best interest of the government,” said Donna Hightower, the Army’s acting product manager for unmanned aerial systems modernization.

Is this because the war in Afghanistan is winding down?

Is it DARPA hard and costing the Army too much time and money?

Or is it simply a bad idea and this is the best for all concerned?  I'll bet its all three.  But I would also guess that Boeing made a fundamental error...they should have made this optionally manned to iron out the problems instead of going all robot all the time.

I still have to wonder what a rotary winged UAV brings to the table that a predator doesn't...integrating the A160's payload onto an Air Force UAV can't be that hard.

Ambush Exercise.

U.S. Marines and Malaysian soldiers conduct an ambush exercise during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Malaysia 2012 in Beraus, Malaysia, June 17, 2012. The bilateral military exercises occur between the U.S. Navy and the armed forces of Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Timor Leste joined the exercise for the first time this year.