SNAFU!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Stallion Stack

Two CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 take off after delivering Marines and Canadian soldiers as part of a noncombatant evacuation operation during Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2012 at Marine Corps Training Area Bellows, Hawaii, July 26, 2012. From June 29 to Aug. 3, more than 25,000 military personnel from 22 nations, 200 aircraft and 40 ships and submarines are participating in RIMPAC. The world's largest international maritime exercise, the 23rd in the series that began in 1971, is held biennially in and around the Hawaiian Islands. The exercise fosters training, interoperability and improved relations between countries providing security in sea lanes and oceans around the world.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Reece Lodder)

Marines train Senegalese forces in marksmanship

Sidenote:
Are they actually teaching that bullshit? I'm talking about advancing on your target while firing. Are you kidding me? Cool guy factor-100. Combat utility-negative 10. I have yet to see one instance in a combat setting where that type of training is applicable.

You do know where the Marine Corps picked that trash up from right? 3 gun shoots. Police SWAT teams. All bullshit training that has no bearing on reality. First 3 gun put it in to make the courses more challenging. Shooting from your back or on your left or right side is show shit and everyone knows it! The prone is your friend and modified shooting from that position is applicable but the other stuff is for the meets. SWAT teams? Lets be honest and take off the rose colored glasses. They're most effective against unarmed people and when they charge against armed individuals not only do they not conduct a deliberate assault but they do everything in their power to wear down the person or persons. Want to know what happens to cool boy SWAT when they run into real opposition? Think Branch Davidians.

I'm saying all this for one purpose. Hey Marines. STOP COPYING 3 gun and civilian SWAT! The training that they do DOES NOT apply!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Elements of Power called it on the clownish Smallwood!

Elements of Power called it on Smallwood. He first brought attention to this clown in a blog post here.

I unfortunately underestimated Smallwood's "devotion" to the Sweetman/Air Power Australia/Kopp/Goon/F-35 haters club. He's at it again and penned an article that must be read. A small tidbit.

Wheeler is hopeful that South Koreans will resist the industry pressure this time. “I think that there’s so much information out there about the F-35 that governments have learned it’s important for them to wait and see and as they do the costs will go up and the performance will go down.”
Ultimately time will tell whether U.S. marketing strategies can overcome the mounting skepticism of the F-35 airplane and convince Seoul to make a purchase they may regret.

Hmmm. I forgot to include Wheeler in the list of infamy but you get the idea. While I personally AM NOT a fan of the US military promoting weapon systems to allies, its an accepted form of business, done on both sides of the Atlantic and is far from illegal. Let me repeat. Its done on both sides of the Atlantic.

Smallwood is out test driving the latest talking point for the anti F-35 crowd.

I am not impressed.