L-Cat aboard the USS Wasp.

120207-N-YF306-107 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Feb. 7, 2012) A French landing catamaran (L-CAT) assigned to the French amphibious assault ship FS Mistral (L9013) prepares to pull into the well deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) during Exercise Bold Alligator. Bold Alligator, the largest naval amphibious exercise in the past 10 years, represents the Navy and Marine Corps' revitalization of the full range of amphibious operations. The exercise focuses on today's fight with today's forces, while showcasing the advantages of seabasing. This exercise will take place Jan. 30 through Feb. 12, 2012 afloat and ashore in and around Virginia and North Carolina. #BA12 (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Chase/Released)

120207-N-YF306-094 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Feb. 7, 2012) A French landing catamaran (L-CAT) assigned to the French amphibious assault ship FS Mistral (L9013) prepares to pull into the well deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) during Exercise Bold Alligator. Bold Alligator, the largest naval amphibious exercise in the past 10 years, represents the Navy and Marine Corps' revitalization of the full range of amphibious operations. The exercise focuses on today's fight with today's forces, while showcasing the advantages of seabasing. This exercise will take place Jan. 30 through Feb. 12, 2012 afloat and ashore in and around Virginia and North Carolina. #BA12 (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Chase/Released)

120207-N-YF306-360 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Feb. 7, 2012) Sailors from the deck department of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) supervise the well deck as a French landing catamaran (L-CAT) enters as part of Exercise Bold Alligator. Bold Alligator, the largest naval amphibious exercise in the past 10 years, represents the Navy and Marine Corps' revitalization of the full range of amphibious operations. The exercise focuses on today's fight with today's forces, while showcasing the advantages of seabasing. This exercise will take place Jan. 30 through Feb. 12, 2012 afloat and ashore in and around Virginia and North Carolina. #BA12 (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Chase/Released)

Riverines. Still don't know.

A vid covering the Riverines during Bold Alligator.

I still don't understand the mission set.  They train with allied Marines in raid type operations but claim to be distinct and have a different mission set from US Marines.

I don't get it.

What do these guys do?  It would appear to be a mix of Marine Corps boat company ops in the context of raids, a bit of Harbor Security from the Master at Arms and a dose of SWCCs in the way that they outfit there boats.

Bleeding hearts will go crazy but its no big deal.

Joe sent me this article and I have to say my first reaction was "Oh shit here we go again"...but its really no big deal.  Not if you kick back and relax a bit and don't go solid stupid.

Oh and SS in Marine talk stands for Scout Sniper.  Many will disagree but this is really no big deal.  via Yahoo.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Marine Corps on Thursday once again did damage control after a photograph surfaced of a sniper team in Afghanistan posing in front of a flag with a logo resembling that of the notorious Nazi SS — a special unit that murdered millions of Jews, gypsies and others.

The Corps said in a statement that using the symbol was not acceptable.

However, it was a naive mistake made by Marines who believed the SS symbol was meant to represent sniper scouts and never intended to associate themselves with a racist organization, said Maj. Gabrielle Chapin, a spokeswoman at Camp Pendleton.

The Marines in the image will not be disciplined because investigators determined there was no malicious intent, Chapin said.

Thank goodness the Marine Corps thought so too.

Army SF has an in-house sea base. They just don't know it!

The US Army has Logistic Support Vessels in house that can be used to provide a "rebirth" of the Army's amphibious operations or to provide a platform for US Army Special Forces and Rangers.

I prefer the latter.

This from Naval Technology pretty much sums up my idea.

LSV - HELICOPTER CAPABLE
The LSV-helicopter capable variant in service with the Philippine Navy provides concealed transport, deployment and retrieval of both helicopters and patrol boats.
Attack helicopters are concealed below a modular flight deck while patrol boats and intercept craft are behind the stern ramp. The configuration presents the appearance of a logistic supply ship without the obvious display of force.

Wow.

Another lesson learned from our friends.  It would be a tremendous asset for the Special Forces and Rangers.  And it can be done today.

As far as revitalizing US Army amphibious ops, check this out from a Defense Tech story on this ships...

...as far as the platform goes, an LSV–with its slow speed, tiny draft, mid-sized crew (a core of about 30) and long legs (5,000 miles) would be a perfect “presence” tool for Africa and the Pacific Islands. Capable of carrying the equivalent of 28 Abrams M1A tanks, the LSV can bring a lot of stuff to a lot of places.

28 Abrams ashore in one lift?

That's approaching the old LST in lift capability.  No.  That is matching the old Newport class LST in capability.

The Army and Navy signed an agreement to transfer ships...I don't recall if these were included or if it was just the JHSV's, but if they were then the Army should seek to reverse that decision and possibly base a few of these in Guam or Japan or even Hawaii.

The future is in the Pacific or in operations off Africa stretching into the Middle East.  Either way, Soldier would be well served by keeping these ships in Army hands.

CLB-26 at Bold Alligator.

A landing support Marine with Combat Logistics Battalion 26, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group watches as a French armored vehicle makes landfall, Feb. 6, 2012, during exercise Bold Alligator 2012 aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bold Alligator is a multinational amphibious exercise designed to test the Marine Corps’ readiness by executing a beach assault. Landing support Marines are responsible for accounting for all gear and personnel on ground and orienting troops toward the fight.

French armored vehicles drive on the shores of Onslow Beach, Feb. 6, 2012, during exercise Bold Alligator 2012 aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bold Alligator is a multinational amphibious exercise designed to test the Marine Corps’ readiness by executing a beach assault. Landing support Marines are responsible for accounting for all gear and personnel on ground and orienting troops toward the fight.

A landing support Marine with Combat Logistics Battalion 26, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group runs to meet an armored assault vehicle after it makes landfall, Feb. 6, 2012, during exercise Bold Alligator 2012 aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bold Alligator is a multinational amphibious exercise designed to test the Marine Corps’ readiness by executing a beach assault. Landing support Marines are responsible for accounting for all gear and personnel on ground and orienting troops toward the fight.

A landing support Marine with Combat Logistics Battalion 26, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group talks to an armored assault vehicle passenger, Feb. 6, 2012, to get an accurate count of vehicles and passengers during exercise Bold Alligator 2012 aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bold Alligator is a multinational amphibious exercise designed to test the Marine Corps’ readiness by executing a beach assault. Landing support Marines are responsible for accounting for all gear and personnel on ground and orienting troops toward the fight.

A landing support Marine with Combat Logistics Battalion 26, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group talks to an armored assault vehicle passenger, Feb. 6, 2012, to get an accurate count of vehicles and passengers during exercise Bold Alligator 2012 aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bold Alligator is a multinational amphibious exercise designed to test the Marine Corps’ readiness by executing a beach assault. Landing support Marines are responsible for accounting for all gear and personnel on ground and orienting troops toward the fight.

SEAL Blowback part two.

Thanks to my bud USS Helm for sending me this link.  This is getting good!   When you have a retired Special Ops General tell an active duty Special Ops Admiral that he's in the media too much then you're seeing a real culture clash.  Something tells me that it isn't necessarily between generations of Special Ops warriors either...this feels more like a clash between SEALs and the rest of the Special Ops community.  Buckle up tight guys!  Even if it never makes it to the public, I'd bet body parts that I highly cherish, that this thing is coming to a head.  And if I were a betting man then I'd have to say that it will be the US Army Special Forces that leads the charge to get the SEALs to shut the fuck up!

via Yahoo.  Go there to read the whole thing but the good bits are below.

Since the time when your wonderful team went and drug bin Laden out and got rid of him, and more recently when you went down and rescued the group in Somalia, or wherever the hell they were, they've been splashing all of this all over the media," Vaught, 85, said. "I flat don't understand that.

"Now back when my special operators extracted Saddam [Hussein] from the hole, we didn't say one damn word about it," he continued. "We turned him over to the local commander and told him to claim that his forces drug him out of the hole, and he did so. And we just faded away and kept our mouth shut.

"Now I'm going to tell you, one of these days, if you keep publishing how you do this, the other guy's going to be there ready for you, and you're going to fly in and he's going to shoot down every damn helicopter and kill every one of your SEALs. Now, watch it happen. Mark my words. Get the hell out of the media," he concluded, as laughter broke out at a meeting of the National Defense Industrial Association in Washington, D.C.

Wow.

I said the exact same thing a couple of days ago. 

Oh and to the media that broke out in laughter.

FUCK YOU!

New Amphibious Truck from Gibbs might have military applications.

via Gizmag

I don't know who this vehicle is marketed to but it would appear to have some military and first responder applications.

I'd love to take one for a spin!

APA have been some busy boys...

Boy, some of the political hacks in the DoD are some sure fire idiots.  While the silly bastard in Washington is making headlines for slamming the F-35 acquisition plan, others are rapidly taking his words and using them to help bolster their arguments.

Check this out from the Australian...

The complaints by Air Power Australia, longtime critics of the $16 billion JSF acquisition, were made last night before a public hearing of parliament's defence sub-committee.
Latest-generation Russian fighters such as the Sukhoi T-50 would easily defeat the F-35 in air-to-air combat, Air Power's Peter Goon said, referring to recent modelling tests by his organisation.
"The aircraft we are planning to buy is carrying over 2000 pounds (900kg) of dead weight," Mr Goon said, referring to the JSF's big jet engines.
New Russian and Chinese air defence radars would also have little trouble detecting the JSF, a craft touted for its stealth qualities, he added.

The RAAF says it wants 100 US-designed JSFs to replace the decommisioned F-111 strike aircraft, with the first squadron supposed to be operating by 2018.But the program has been mired in cost overruns and delays.
Last month US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta ordered the purchase of US JSFs to be delayed to allow Lockheed-Martin time to resolve production and technical shortcomings.
The company is contracted to deliver the first two training aircraft in 2014 with another 12 scheduled for 2015-17.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith has said he is now considering an option to order additional F/A-18F Super Hornets to fill any capability gap created by further JSF production delays.

Now I know some will say...ah its just APA chill out.

That wouldn't quite be wise in my opinion.  The critics of this program have a way of 'finding' each other.  And while they all have different motives for canceling the program, they're united in the desire to CANCEL the program.

Meanwhile, supporters have allies that have a habit of sticking their feet --- yeah feet as in both of them --- inside their oversized mouths.  Lockheed Martin was late to the table when it came to realizing that this is a public relations war as well as a fighter program.

Time for the DoD to wake up to that fact too.

31st MEU Helo Marines hone fast roping skills

CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan-A Marine with Company C., Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, provides security for his squad as they fast rope from a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 (Reinforced), 31st MEU, at Landing Zone Hansen here, Feb. 7. As part of the remain behind element while the rest of BLT 1/4 is deployed in support of Cobra Gold 2012 in the Kingdom of Thailand, the Marines are making the most of the time to further enhance their training in preparation for their upcoming deployment. The 31st MEU is the only continuously forward-deployed MEU and remains the nation’s force in readiness in the Asia-Pacific region., Cpl. Jonathan G. Wright, 2/7/2012 11:36 AM

CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan-Marines with Company C., Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, provide security for the rest of their squad as they fast rope from a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 (Reinforced), 31st MEU, at Landing Zone Hansen here, Feb. 7. As part of the remain behind element while the rest of BLT 1/4 is deployed in support of Cobra Gold 2012 in the Kingdom of Thailand, the Marines are making the most of the time to further enhance their training in preparation for their upcoming deployment. The 31st MEU is the only continuously forward-deployed MEU and remains the nation’s force in readiness in the Asia-Pacific region., Cpl. Jonathan G. Wright, 2/7/2012 11:59 AM

CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan-A Marine with Company C., Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, fast ropes from a UH-1N Huey helicopter from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 (Reinforced), 31st MEU, at Landing Zone Hansen here, Feb. 7. As part of the remain behind element while the rest of BLT 1/4 is deployed in support of Cobra Gold 2012 in the Kingdom of Thailand, the Marines are making the most of the time to further enhance their training in preparation for their upcoming deployment. The 31st MEU is the only continuously forward-deployed MEU and remains the nation’s force in readiness in the Asia-Pacific region., Cpl. Jonathan G. Wright, 2/7/2012 12:39 PM

Bold Alligator continues. Camp followers multiply.

Great, short vid on Bold Alligator.  I'm pleased to see how mechanized the French forces are.  They appear to have put on the ground a pretty credible ground force.

A couple of thoughts.

1.  Really pissed at a certain Marine General.  Time for him to retire or transfer full time to SOCOM.

2.  Speaking of SOCOM.  I'm a bit tired of that outfit crowding its way into every exercise whether specific to them or not.  This was suppose to be about revitalizing LARGE scale amphibious operations.  If those boys are so stressed by operational tempo then let them get some rest.  Them being at this exercise is not warranted in my opinion.

3.  Speaking of camp followers and glory hounds, I'm a bit peeved at some of the actions I've seen here.  The Commodore of Riverine Force inserting himself into the scenarios?  Not bloody likely and an ego trip if I ever saw one.  Pathetic.

Riverine Group 1 Commodore, Capt. Chris Halton, Command Master Chief Jeff Covington and Lt. Isaac Hartsell perform a key leader engagement with simulated host nationals during Exercise Bold Alligator 2012, the largest amphibious exercise in the past 10 years. The exercise represents the Navy and Marine Corps' revitalization of the full range of amphibious operations. The exercise focuses on today's fight with today's forces, while showcasing the advantages of seabasing. This exercise will take place 30 Jan - 12 Feb, 2012 afloat and ashore in and around Virginia and North Carolina.

Riverine Group 1 Commodore, Capt. Chris Halton, Command Master Chief Jeff Covington and Lt. Isaac Hartsell perform a key leader engagement with simulated host nationals during Exercise Bold Alligator 2012, the largest amphibious exercise in the past 10 years. The exercise represents the Navy and Marine Corps' revitalization of the full range of amphibious operations. The exercise focuses on today's fight with today's forces, while showcasing the advantages of seabasing. This exercise will take place Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2012, afloat and ashore in and around Virginia and North Carolina.

4.  Gotta repeat myself here.  The French came to play.  The Brits, Australians and Dutch can be excused for smaller contingents...Cobra Gold is going on in the Pacific and The Brits and Dutch have something going on way up in the waters of northern Europe.

5.  Congressional Aides showed up and of course they're getting the royal treatment.  When we were warned about the defense industrial complex, he forgot to mention that elected officials and their minions would see the military as a play thing.  Rolling out the red carpet for these legalized hoodlums reinforces their sense of entitlement.

We're at the halfway point of this exercise and more is to come.