SNAFU!

Textron's Trident Warrior anti-mine surface unmanned vehicle.

Unmanned vehicle designation are going to get confusing if the Navy and Army ever get serious about getting those systems in their respective elements (Navy-on sea...Army-on land...)

UAVs...Lockheed Style...

I added this just because it was crazy cool...why DARPA wanted to pursue this is beyond me but hey!

Blast from the past. Towed missile barges.

The towed missile barge.

I thought I had hit on something new and unique but as usual...nothing is new under the sun. The US Navy has more than enough sensors. From ships to planes to uavs to sats to allied forces...we have enough sensors. What we might need are more shooters. A couple of barges in the Pacific and in the Atlantic maintained like our prepositioned ships might be just what the doctor ordered.

Worried about saturation attacks by anti-ship missiles? Tow a couple of these behind a Burke loaded with about 1000 plus quad packed SM3's. Want to savage a coast line? Fill the other half with about 500 tomahawk land attack missiles. When done, have your crappy little LCS do some real work and tow it back to base for refill so that the real ships can stay in the fight (just joking...had to slam the LCS for fun).

This is a winner. Admit it!

Musclefest at Marine Barracks

Lance Cpl. John Hartley, Marine Corps body bearer and native of Kalama, Wash., carries two 120-pound dumbbells during Musclefest at Marine Barracks Washington July 30. Competitors had to carry two dumbbells totaling their body weight for 100 yards. Musclefest is the sixth 2012 Commander's Cup event. Four scheduled events remain this year.

Lance Cpl. Gaige Roberts, adjutant clerk and native of Milford, Iowa, flips a 100-pound tire during Musclefest at Marine Barracks Washington July 30. Competitors had to flip the tire without rolling it for a distance of 40 yards for time. Musclefest is the sixth 2012 Commander's Cup event. Four scheduled events remain this year.

Lance Cpl. Ruben Franco, Marine Corps body bearer and native of Montgomery, Texas, pushes a 2.25-ton, pickup truck during Musclefest at Marine Barracks Washington July 30. Competitors had to push the truck 40 yards for time. Musclefest is the sixth 2012 Commander's Cup event. Four scheduled events remain this year.

HMS Daring.

The HMS Daring just got back from its first deployment and by all appearances it was quite successful. But a couple of questions hang out in the ether for me...

Is the Daring the most advanced anti-air destroyer in the world? By everything I've read (even knocking off a 10% embellishment fee) it is. Nicely done by whatever design shop did it. Next, I love the concept of independent operations by warships...but when they do integrate with allied navies why do they always aim to link up with Carrier Battle Groups? The capabilities that these ships bring would be most useful (especially when I think about the US and the UK teaming up) to Amphibious Ready Groups. The HMS Daring could almost provide anti-air coverage for almost all engagements up to full fledged warfare against a peer competitor. An example would be a joint US-UK intervention into Syria. One Daring class destroyer could protect a combined amphibious group all by its lonesome.

I really like this ship.

Blast from the past. Bring back the MH-53J.

The biggest mistake that US Air Force Special Ops made was retiring the MH-53J. The CV-22 is great...I like the MH-60s but SOCOM needs the size and space that was lost with the retirement of these helicopters. Want a perfect example of what a modernized MH-53J could have looked like?

Check out what EADS did for the German's with the CH-53GA. This is a work of art.

A kick in the teeth to British air power.

This has got to be a kick in the teeth to British air power advocates. The decision has been made and even though many disagree with it what's done is done. But to now see US Marine Harriers flying air support for British units must be a serious WTF moment for at least a few Brit flyers.