Sunday, March 13, 2011

XC-120. A transport that should have made it to production.

Something other than war is taking place in Afghanistan.

Ya know...when you see these types of events taking place inside a so-called war zone...then you have something other than a war going on.  Full blown nation building?  A relaxed view of the threat?  But when you have Infantrymen running a half marathon instead of being out on patrol its worrying.

Maybe I'm making assumptions that I shouldn't...I know I took heat for the Officer that sponsored a men's water polo team for the ANA but this just doesn't feel right.

CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan-Lance Cpl. Richard J. Powell, an infantryman with 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, Marine Corps Reserve, took first place in a half marathon on Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, with a time of 1 hour, 22 minutes, March 13. Powell finished first out of more than 400 coalition troops and civilians who took part in the run.
, Lance Cpl. Samantha H. Arrington, 3/13/2011 5:54 AM


And here's the story....

Coalition forces double-time through Camp Bastion, Afghanistan 


CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan  — Lance Cpl. Richard J. Powell, an infantryman with 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, Marine Corps Reserve, took first place in a half marathon on Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, with a time of 1 hour, 22 minutes, March 13. Powell finished first out of more than 400 coalition troops and civilians who took part in the run.
UPDATE:
Is this why we see the nonsense of controversies like 'only grunts' should have crossed rifles in their rank insignia?  Do we have two wars going on?  One where frontline personnel are actually carrying the burden while those in the rear have almost a stateside existence?

Yes I know this has been going on since warfare began but its NOT RIGHT, ITS UNSEEMLY and someone should find better stuff for a deployed USMC Rifleman to be doing...he can run half marathons in the states...NOT IN THE FUCKING WAR ZONE!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

CH-46's riding to the rescue.

A short video of CH-46's working in Japan during the relief effort.

Is it just me or will we look back at this simple, risk free helicopter and miss those qualities?  I think we will but time will tell.


Now I know what you're thinking.  What could have performed the same mission as the CH-46 but been a lower risk solution than the MV-22?  How about the Boeing 360?

BattleHawk...the Navy's way back to its SeaWolf legacy.

S70-054_ABH_BR_hi                                                                                                   

During the Vietnam war the US Navy operated Huey helicopters in the armed gunship role to great effect.  They were known as SeaWolves and they terrorized the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops.  If the Navy is going to get serious about combating modern threats...piracy, fighting in the littorals, stopping missile boats before they close to major ships and even operating in blue water then its time to bring this capability to the fleet.

Visit SealWolf.org to get a view of a lost but fascinating part of naval history.

Big Navy attempts to justify carriers...proves the opposite.


Galrahn has a post on the relief efforts in Japan with an updated list of the ships involved.  Awesome stuff.  Where we go in opposite directions is his last paragraph....
With the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) expected to serve as a helicopter support base offshore for both US Navy and Japanese SDF helicopters, once again the nuclear powered aircraft carrier is poised to be the most versatile and flexible capability in responding to the needs following an international catastrophe.
What the fuck?

Talk about justifying using super carriers in an LHD role!

We've gone over it and I've rechecked the numbers.  Unless the CVN dumps its entire airwing and reloads with helos (which in order to fill it out would have to come from LHDs anyway)....one LHD has the helo lift of 5 aircraft carriers.

One.

Additionally the LHD has onboard a surgical hospital, and is designed to handle refugees...the CVN isn't.

The LHD can offload troops and have space tailor made for those needing extra bunks...like Japanese Helicopter Crews in the middle of rescue operations....the CVN can do likewise but will have to jump thru hoops to do it.

What are we actually seeing in the Navy's deployment of ships to these recent disaster zones?

1.  The budget wars are here.  An aircraft carrier steaming at 35 knots to Haiti...an aircraft carrier steaming to Japan...all show no go.  Just like the Coast Guard sending ships to Haiti...they can get there first--make claims about all the work they're doing but its all about publicity and budget more than getting the actual work done.  Show over go!

2.  Bastardizing the Sea Base concept.  Simply having an assemblage of ships operating off a coast is not a sea base.  I'll be watching Marine Corps reaction to these events...if they even whisper the term sea base in describing this then the sea base concept as I've read it is as dead as disco.

3.  Looks matter more than performance.  Watching the Navy get the "facts" out about the action in Japan indicates that our PAO's have jumped the shark.  What do I mean?  Its no longer about actually telling the story to the American people but in tailoring it in such a way as to emphasize certain weapon systems...ships etc...

Information should be provided to the public...we don't need publicist in uniform.

UPDATE:
This photo by MS1 Steve Smith shows to good effect the potential for the LPD-17 class to revolutionize amphibious operations in general and disaster relief in particular.  Note the number of helos on the deck of this LPD!  Two CH-53's and other helicopters plus room for a MV-22 to land?  That represents more than the standard number of helicopters found on a CVN.  Amphibs prove their worth...carriers show the flag.
UPDATE 1:
Another fallacy needs to be put to rest on this operation.  A fleet of ships does not constitute a sea base.  An aircraft carrier that leaves its planes on shore and becomes a helicopter carrier is not a sea base....we need to make sure that we stick to the approved USMC definition of a sea base...otherwise we will be left with a pale version of the same.
 UPDATE 2:
The USMC has removed its Sea Basing Site and all the information within from the web.  Why they've taken this action is beyond me...luckily I have archived past information...future developments will be hard to come by.  It seems that the proper telling of the USMC's story and the debate about its future needs will be done outside the view of the public.

BattleHawk ... the video..

Saw this on Military Photos.net. 

Ordinary SAILORS dabble in Marine/Special Ops mission sets and WIN!


Thanks MUCH Lee.  Seems that you solved this mystery for us...you also help explain why Navy Public Affairs was tongue tied when it came to describing the unit involved in this rescue....

Remember my post here???  In it I asked if perhaps a new Special Ops Unit had been created and wondered why they were keeping it so hush hush....

Well the answer to that question is here.

When they climbed aboard Saturday with a rickety ladder made from welded scrap, the four Somalis suspected of trying to hijack a massive Japanese oil tanker probably figured their plan would go off without a hitch: They'd round up the crew, take control of the tanker, and do with it as they pleased.
Instead, they ended up in the custody of the Norfolk-based Navy ship Bulkeley, after what local sailors described Tuesday as a botched attempt at piracy.
In phone interviews from the Indian Ocean, Bulkeley crew members provided new details about their involvement in freeing the Japanese vessel and arresting the Somalis. They said the Somalis were never able to gain access to their prospective hostages, who had barricaded themselves in the tanker's control room.
Ultimately the Somalis surrendered, and they remain on the Bulkeley, where they are being kept under 24-hour watch, said Cmdr. Chris DeGregory, the Bulkeley's top officer.
"For us, it couldn't have gone better," DeGregory said. "Our training paid off."
While he said it’s not yet clear what will happen to the suspected pirates next, the Japanese press is reporting that the country’s government plans to bring them to Japan for prosecution. American officials couldn’t immediately confirm that.
The ordeal began Saturday afternoon when the Bulkeley, a guided-missile destroyer with a crew of about 300, received a distress call from the Japanese tanker, the Guanabara, about 300 nautical miles off the coast of Oman.
The Bulkeley left Norfolk in January for a roughly six-month deployment as part of an international anti-piracy task force. It was one of four U.S. Navy ships that tried last month to free four Americans who were taken hostage by Somali pirates off East Africa; the hostages were later shot and killed.
When the Guanabara's distress call went out, the Bulkeley was the closest available responder. It reached the Guanabara around 9 p.m. that night.
DeGregory said the Bulkeley was able to make contact with the tanker's crew by both radio and satellite phone, and they were able to describe the situation: There were 24 of them, from a variety of nations, against four Somalis armed with automatic rifles.
As soon as the Somalis boarded the tanker, the crew members had barricaded themselves in the control room, and so far, the Somalis hadn't been able to get in.
"That's the best thing they could have done," DeGregory said.
He said the Bulkeley stayed in contact with the tanker crew throughout the night, as the Somalis continued to try to break in. The next morning, a Turkish warship arrived, and both the Turks and the Americans sent up helicopters.
The Bulkeley also began playing loud, pre-recorded messages in Somali urging the pirates to surrender.
Finally, around 9 a.m., the Somalis laid down their weapons, gathered at the Guanabara's bow and began waving pieces of white cloth. That's when the Bulkeley's boarding team went to work.
In two small boats, the team's 19 members headed for the tanker, then climbed aboard near the stern, said Ensign Michael Seymour, the team leader.
Jameson Siegrist, a 24-year-old second - class petty officer, was the first one up.
"It was definitely one of the most intense moments of my life," Siegrist said. "Definitely an adrenaline rush."
As the rest of the team made it on deck, the sailors approached the Somalis, ordering them to keep their hands up and then lie down. "They were very compliant," Seymour said.
With the four Somalis secured, the Bulkeley team proceeded to search the Guanabara to make sure no others were hiding below decks. Once they cleared the tanker, its crew emerged.
"You could tell they were very happy to see us," Seymour said. "You could see the relief on their faces."
He said the Somalis had used a makeshift ladder made from welded scrap to board the Guanabara. The Somalis' original vessel wasn't found. The Somalis remain on the deck of the Bulkeley, Seymour said, adding that they are being fed rice and beans and kept out of the weather.
The Japanese press is reporting that the country is making arrangements with the U.S. Navy for the suspected pirates to be brought to Oman, where a Japanese team will pick them up and take them to Japan for prosecution.
Japan’s plans come in response to a request from the United States, the newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported today.

Corinne Reilly, (757) 446-2949, corinne.reilly@pilotonline.com
A Destroyer crew...A well trained crew...But not certified "Special Ops" capable crew...Did what the FBI Negotiators and an undisclosed team of snake eaters failed to do...they pulled off a text book rescue of a hijacked ship.

Don't get me wrong.  The pirates that seized the missionaries were brutal and it might well have been a no win situation...but they had individuals whose primary mission and focus was battling pirates.  This crew not only have anti-piracy missions but the other 100's of other tasks that a crew has to perform not only during wartime but on a daily basis.

Extremely well done Squids!  And believe you me...I say Squid with nothing but respect.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Amphibs again prove their worth.

Defense Tech is reporting this...

Here’s a quick rundown of the tech the U.S. military is sending to help in the aftermath of the massive earthquake and tsunami that just hit Japan. From a Pentagon news release:
  • The USS Tortuga, in Sasebo, Japan, is preparing to load landing craft and to leave for the disaster areas as early as this evening.
  • The USS Essex, with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, arrived in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, this morning. The ship is preparing to depart as early as this evening.
  • The USS Blue Ridge, in Singapore, is taking on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies and preparing to depart tomorrow morning.
  • The USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group, at sea in the western Pacific on its way to Korea, can respond if directed.
So far, there are no reports of U.S. military casualties or major damage to American military equipment in Japan.
4 ships on call...2 are amphibs...1 is a carrier and 1 is a command ship.

Why this mix?

Quite simply...Manpower and equipment.

Disasters require personnel to physically search for and treat survivors...operate heavy equipment for clean up...fly helicopters to aid in casualty evacuation....man amphibious assault vehicle to travel flooded areas to reach stranded persons..etc...

A unique capability found on amphibious ships.  A capability not found on Destroyers...Subs...Frigates or Patrol Ships.

It does little good for a ship to arrive in 2 hours if it can't provide meaningful assistance.

A carrier---as effective a ship of war as it is---doesn't have the resources to provide the kind of assistance that is needed.


It can show the flag but it can't do the work.

Amphibs again prove their worth.

Force Protection Ocelot. Let's get real about its size.


Time to get real about the Force Protection Ocelot.  Its not a small vehicle.  Its almost 18 feet long.  Its almost 8 feet tall.  Its narrower than a HUMVEE but only by a few inches....and once the HUMVEEs are RESET and Upgraded they will only gain a capsule and suspension improvements.  Meaning that they will be no wider and will probably only match the Ocelot in height.  Much as my buddy Think Defence loves the Ocelot, its not the world beater that our friends across the pond might want us to believe.

via Wikipedia...Production history
Designer Ricardo Plc / Force Protection Europe
Designed 2009–2010
Manufacturer Force Protection Europe
Produced 2011– (projected)
Variants Prototype
Specifications
Weight 7,500 kg (7.4 long tons)
Length 5.32 m (17 ft 5 in)
Width 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in)
Height 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in)

Speed 110 km/h (68 mph)

Price of the 2nd Dutch F-35 known!



GvG sent me this link and information from the Dutch Ministry of Defense regarding the quoted price of the F-35 test airplane (absolutely awesome GvG...thanks).

By letter dated February 29, 2008 Parliament received confidential information on the estimates of the price of the second F-35 test plane including engine, which was  91.7 million (2007 prices).
The now agreed target price of the unit including the engine is  91.2 million (2007 prices,  plan-dollar $ 1.00 =  0.83). In 2010 price level this amount is equivalent to  99.2 million.

The ceiling price of the unit without motor is 6 percent above the target pricebut the ceiling price of the engine is not yet known..Translated by GvG.
Read the whole thing here..its in pdf form...but despite what you hear from the critics and naysayers...this program is not only on track but meeting cost expectations.