V-22 supports Harry S. Truman flight deck certification

An MV-22 Osprey assigned to the Argonauts of Marine Tiltrotor Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 22 lands on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) on July 19. This is Truman's first Osprey recovery. Truman is underway conducting carrier qualifications. (U.S. Navy photo)

SAAB ASW 601

I searched the website and it appears that this weapon is no longer being offered.  I'm sure it has to do with its lack of precision.  Too bad.  This might have actually worked on the LCS for anti-sub work.  If Clancy has sub hunting down then the LCS' dash speed with a drift and firing these off when in the general location of the sub might win the day.  Yesterday's technology that will probably re-appear once the Navy gets serious about sub hunting again.

Australian Maritime Counter Terrorism and Emergency Response Exercise

Interesting.  Who knew that Australia had sea going Snake Eaters...

Akula attack sub operated in the Gulf of Mexico.

 Many thanks to my bud Dwi for sending me this article.  Note: I never heard of the Washington Free Beacon but Bill Gertz is well connected.  I'm posting a tidbit but read the entire article.

A Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine armed with long-range cruise missiles operated undetected in the Gulf of Mexico for several weeks and its travel in strategic U.S. waters was only confirmed after it left the region, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.

It is only the second time since 2009 that a Russian attack submarine has patrolled so close to U.S. shores.

The stealth underwater incursion in the Gulf took place at the same time Russian strategic bombers made incursions into restricted U.S. airspace near Alaska and California in June and July, and highlights a growing military assertiveness by Moscow.

The submarine patrol also exposed what U.S. officials said were deficiencies in U.S. anti-submarine warfare capabilities—forces that are facing cuts under the Obama administration’s plan to reduce defense spending by $487 billion over the next 10 years.

The Navy is in charge of detecting submarines, especially those that sail near U.S. nuclear missile submarines, and uses undersea sensors and satellites to locate and track them.

The fact that the Akula was not detected in the Gulf is cause for concern, U.S. officials said.

Hmmm.  I should be surprised but I'm really not.  To be quite honest I have a totally different take on this situation.  I've been doing a bit more reading on the naval issues of World War 2.  I was shocked to learn that besides the US sub force, the US Coast Guard had the most sophisticated sub hunting tools in existence at the time.  To be quite honest the Coast Guard could be called the subject matter experts on surface prosecution of undersea threats.

That history has been lost to both the Navy and Coast Guard.  Whoever came up with the idea of putting the Coast Guard into the Department of Homeland Security had to be smoking crack.  I would have preferred to see them fall under the FBI for domestic work and continue under the Pentagon for wartime issues.

Nevertheless, this is bad news.  We are watching two important parts of our naval warfighting capabilities get shit canned in order to give the LCS a reason for being.  Minehunting and ASW work.  We have to do better.

A global force for good?

I always thought that the Navy catch phrase...a global force for good...was too much meals on wheels, too much peace corps and not enough war fighter.

Well it seems like they're starting to have that debate.  Check out the latest from USNI Blog.

I wonder however, if new recruits are the only audience? Shouldn’t our brand also appeal to the American taxpayers and their direct representatives on Capitol Hill? To the teachers, counselors, parents and coaches—those figures America’s youth look to when trying to figure out their personal way ahead? The point is that the “brand” has to appeal to a broad audience, with different levels of experience and different perspectives. The challenge is to reach and appeal to this wide audience with a clear and concise message of who we are.

Yeah he's right.  They should try to relate to not ony a wider audience but also to retired/vet Sailors.  The current marketing campaign doesn't do that. 

What has me laughing my ass off is that he thinks that young men joining the Navy are all for the cup cakes and unicorns.  That migh apply to a few since don't ask don't tell was repealed but the societal facts point to something else.  The fastest growing sport in America is mixed martial arts.  The biggest fitness craze is cross fit which is just a rip off of mixed martial arts training techniques.  The next fastest growing sport is weight lifting.  That points to a much more macho type mindset...a more conservative mindset than the powers that be are comfortable with.

Read the whole thing and compare/contrast the comments between those with fingers in the air trying to say the politically correct thing and those that are speaking the truth.

Its really quite funny.

The Marine Corps' JLTV problem.

The Corps has a JLTV problem.  Check this out from Govt Exec.

Instead of fielding new vehicles with new technology, service leaders installed more armor on the vehicles they already have and buy off-the-shelf stopgaps to create MRAPs, mine-resistant ambush-protected trucks. But even the lightest, most mobile MRAP variant, the M-ATV (MRAP all-terrain vehicle), weighs in at more than 12 tons, more than twice an uparmored Humvee. Other, heavier MRAPs can hardly operate off-road: problematic but tolerable in highly urbanized Iraq, painfully limiting in rugged Afghanistan, and potentially crippling for future rapid-intervention missions around the world.

Now the Army and Marine Corps want a truck that’s much more maneuverable cross-country than an MRAP, yet much less vulnerable than the old Humvee. But their proposed solution, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program, faced cancellation threats in Congress and already has been rebooted to control its rising costs. The Army likewise revamped its Ground Combat Vehicle after initial proposals came in at 50 to 70 tons, startlingly heavy even for what is essentially a tank.

Its past time for a bit of common sense when it comes to Marine Corps procurement of ground vehicles.

1.  The JLTV just doesn't make sense for the Marine Corps.  Have the balls to cancel Marine Corps purchases and pick an upgrade for the HUMVEE.  If we land in extended combat in IED infested areas then we pull MRAPs out of storage.  The JLTV as currently constructed will cause our ships to weight out before they cube out.
2.  The slow walk that is the Marine Personnel Carrier Program is a mystery.  You pick the best one (and on this I would aim for best land performance, not swimming ability...we'll never launch these from ship and everyone knows it).  We've been looking at this since 2010.  They've been tested at Marine Bases around the country.  Man up and make a selection.
3.  What gives with the AAV upgrade?  Again.  Pick out what's desired and just get it done.
4.  ACV.  Again, this is nothing but a big bag of WTF!  Simply take the transformer pieces off the EFV, don't make it plane on water and get some decent jet drives on it and lets get it in the fleet.

These are simple issues that the Marine Corps has the answers to.  The Marine Corps does have a weight problem and its with too many functionaries and procurement officials.  This should have been done a year ago.

No urgency.

No plan.

Too much talk.

You don't win wars that way and you don't win procurement battles either.  

NOTE:
Yeah I know this is just a thinly disguised hit piece on the F-35 by the guy whose name must not be spoken but he did have some juicy tidbits mixed in.  I've got to get my hands on the wargame where the Army tried to get amphibious....how would they manage that with Strykers, Bradleys and Abrams?

Has anyone ever heard of these guys??? US Corrections Special Operations Group.

Corrections Officers are  now considered operators?  We definitely need to get a better definition of the word.

Pikes Peak Crash.

Jalopnik has a great write up on this years race.  If you have only a passing interest in autocross you must check it out.