SNAFU!

Friday, June 29, 2012

UAVs in US air space.

The Army has put together and demonstrated a system of ground-based "sense and avoid" technology that should show the Federal Aviation Administration the military can safely fly drones in civilian airspace without ground observers or chase planes, the project's leader tells AOL Defense.
"We're ready now to start getting the system certified," said Viva Austin, product director for Unmanned Systems Airspace Integration Concepts in the Army's Program Executive Office for Aviation. "Once this system is certified, I think we have cleared a major hurdle. I think we're there."

Read the whole thing but a simple question.

We know that the Army WANTS to fly drones in US air space but can anyone tell me WHY they want to? There are too many military ranges with tons of space that's restricted for this to be merely for training. Police dept and the Dept of Homeland Security has drones of their own...so why?

Modest Proposal. No more cultural celebrations.

The Montfort Marines were recently honored by the Commandant and SgtMaj of the Marine Corps in Washington D.C.

The celebration was well deserved.

But now its time to stop these celebrations of diversity. Its gotten to the point of where we are losing ourselves in search of a goal that will divide us.

We are all Marines. Different shades. Different sexes. Different beliefs. But we are Marines first. Not Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Female, Male, Gay or Straight.

These subdivisions are not in the best interest of the Marine Corps....goes against everything that Marines are taught at Boot Camp.

And it goes against Corps Values.

The proposal is simple. Lets all realize that we're all equally worthless and do away with these cultural celebrations and celebrate the thing that brings us together.

THE ONLY CELEBRATION THE MARINE CORPS NEEDS IS THE MARINE CORPS BIRTHDAY.

The perfect primer on the M27 IAR.

I sometimes get fired up about certain issues.

The lack of leadership that I'm seeing from certain offices in the Marine Corps is one of those things that has me punching walls.

The perfect example of that disconnect between getting a shiny new toy and knowing how you're going to use it is the M27.

Its in the fleet. Its being used everyday. But Headquarters Marine Corps, the School of Infantry and Marine Gunners have left the hardwork of "figuring" it all out to the Battalions, Companies and Platoons running ranges/getting ready for deployment.

They have better things to do than to develop doctrine. Tweak it? Yes. Develop it? No.

If you're curious about the lack of thinking that has gone into the adoption and use of this weapon then I direct you to the Marine Corps Gazette and an article written by Maj John A. Custis.

He digs down into the issues surrounding this system and its well worth a read. Spoiler Alert. The Major believes that we need this weapon. I believe that we're taking a blast from the past and just getting capability that was lost when someone got the bright idea that a 3 round burst was a better option than full automatic (the M-16A1 had it!)

Exercise Lion Star 4

Vietnam part deux?

525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade

I've read about the bad ole days of Vietnam.

Leadership shot on patrol. Grenades tossed into sleeping areas.

Nonsense that indicated a weak force. A force that was fraying at the edges. A force that needed to be revitalized.

Welcome to the bad days part 2. This news out of FT. BRAGG is a warning to every military leader...especially in the Army and Marines. Check this out from Yahoo News.

A U.S. Army battalion commander was killed by a fellow soldier on Thursday in a shooting incident at Fort Bragg, N.C. The alleged gunman then shot himself and is in custody; a third soldier was slightly injured in the shooting.

An Army statement said the shooting victim belonged to the 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade. A battalion is a subordinate command within a brigade and is commanded by a lieutenant colonel. The battalion involved in today's shooting has not been identified.

A Defense official told ABC News that the shooting occurred this afternoon as the battalion was gathered for a safety briefing in advance of the upcoming July 4 weekend.

The safety briefings are usually held by commanders to reinforce good patterns of behavior during holiday periods.

The official says that at some point during the safety briefing an enlisted soldier broke out of formation and pulled a handgun to shoot the battalion commander. Another soldier was slightly injured during the shooting. The gunman then shot himself. He was taken into custody and is listed as being in serious condition.

This official says it is unclear if the handgun the enlisted soldier used in the shooting was a personal weapon or military issue. Army bases usually keep firearms under lock and key at armories unless units are scheduled to use weapons at firing ranges.

The official said the incident occurred two blocks from the Corps' headquarters. An Army statement said, "Fort Bragg law enforcement and emergency responders secured the scene within minutes at the corner of Letterman and Armistead Streets."
At a press briefing late this evening Col. Kevin Arata, a spokesman for the XVIII Airborne Corps based at Fort Bragg, said, "This is a tragedy for our community. We don't yet know the reasons for the shooting, but are working with the unit and the affected families to help them through this difficult period." He added, ""Our prayers are with those who have been affected by this terrible incident."

Special Agents from the Army Criminal Investigation Command are investigating the shooting.

Any excuse given by the gunman is irrelevant.

I personally don't want to hear it.

Oh and before the anti-gun crowd gets going, trust me on this. No law. No amount of police presence. No number of rules or regulations could have prevented this tragedy. A maniac will always find a way to accomplish his goals.

What should concern the Army Chief of Staff and the Commandant of the Marines is the idea that they are losing touch with those that they lead.

I'm on the outside looking in and I can feel that the ship is adrift. Why can't the men standing on the bridge see that?

I finally found the perfect gift for Bill Sweetman!

I've been searching for the perfect gift for my buddy Bill Sweetman. We've had some interesting "discussions" about the F-35 in particular and the Marine Corps in general.

Ya see Bill and the rest of Aviation Week has a real hard on for the F-35 program and well...I wanted to give ole' Bill a gift that would tug on his heart strings and bring him nothing but joy. So check this out from Scale Model News.

SMN REPORT:

Newcomer kit-maker Kitty Hawk Models has already received praise for its excellent inaugural model, the 1:48 scale Lockheed F-94C Starfire. And now here’s a really badly needed subject to the same scale, the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II.

About time someone came out with a model of the F-35.

I hope ole' Bill likes it...Maybe I should send one to Air Power Australia too? Maybe Bob Cox? Yeah Bob would love it!

And you wondered where he's been...

Admiral Mullen slinked out of town to remembered (by me at least) to be one in a series of ineffectual, politically motivated and un-military like Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff that we've suffered through. It started with General Pace and has continued to this day.

God save us from sorry leadership.

But if you were wondering where the good Admiral's been, then consider that mystery solved...well at least for one day in Sept of this year at least....

Just out of curiosity.

Why do all these gay rights groups always use Marines in their "advertising"????? Pick a Squid, a Doggie or a Zoomie but leave Devil Dogs alone!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

How much does treason cost? About 75 million dollars.

via Defense Talk.

United Technologies Corp. and two of its subsidiaries have pleaded guilty to exporting software that helped China build its first military attack helicopter, US officials said Thursday.
United Technologies, Canada-based Pratt and Whitney and US-based Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation entered guilty pleas to criminal charges and agreed to pay more than $75 million to the government in a settlement, the Justice Department said in a statement.
Pratt and Whitney admitted to selling to China military software that is designed to test and control the company’s helicopter engines, it said. The technology helped China develop a new combat helicopter, the Z-10.

Pratt and Whitney pleaded guilty to violating the arms export control act while United Technologies and Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation admitted to making false statements to US authorities.
The companies had claimed in statements to the State Department that they initially believed their exports would be used for a civilian helicopter that would form the basis for a military chopper. But executives admitted they knew from the start that the software was for a military aircraft, despite a US embargo on arms sales to China, the Justice Department said.
Of the $75 million owed in the settlement, about $20.7 million is due to be paid to the Justice Department and the remaining $55 million will be paid to the State Department. The payments include turning over profits made in the deal with China.
“This case is a clear example of how the illegal export of sensitive technology reduces the advantages our military currently possesses,” said John Morton, director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“I am hopeful that the conviction of Pratt & Whitney Canada and the substantial penalty levied against United Technologies and its subsidiaries will deter other companies from considering similarly ill-conceived business practices in the future,” he said.