General Allen calms the troops....or tries to at least.

Word must have gotten out that they were going to lay some wood to the Afghans.  He's a good guy but he's wrong on this one.  The bastard who did this should be hunted down, and executed.

The lesson of Capt Rogers that the SEALs forgot.

Act of Valor starts playing today and the SEALs have been on the red carpet, had people jump from planes onto the red carpet and basically succeeded in doing an end run around the Pentagon to get this film made.

Good for them.  I hope they like it and the blow back they're getting/gonna get from the rest of the Special Ops community.

But being Sailors I hope they remember the case of another aggressive person that belongs to the greater naval community.

Capt Rogers.

He was the skipper of the USS Vincennes and was responsible for ordering the downing of an Iranian airliner.  He had to have FBI protection for a while because of death threats from the Iranians.  His wife had a pipe bomb go off under her van while she was on her way to work (she was a teacher and the case has never been solved---the Rogers believe it was a terrorist attack here on US soil).

They lived in fear because they were readily identifiable to an enemy that they had drawn blood from. 

Hopefully the SEALs have properly planned.

Hopefully the worst that will come of this will be criticism from me and others.  

Hopefully no one is reading their playbook that they're posting for all to see.

Hopefully no one is smart enough to go to Coronado and identify SEALs, follow them home and do harm to their families.

Hopefully the retired founder of SOCOM is wrong and the enemy won't be waiting for them the next time they OR other special ops teams go into action.

Hopefully someone has some type of Force Protection Plan in place for these hot dogs.


Hopefully.

This is insane! Leopard Attack!

Thats beyond crazy.

This happened in India and the Leopard was later killed after mauling 11 villagers.

This is too wild.

F-35 test team completes first external stores testing on F-35B

X-47B Arrives at NAS Patuxent River

BAE Ground Combat Vehicle Porn!

Awesome. 

BAE is definitely laying down the gauntlet for the other manufacturers.  Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that they're ready to pick it up.

Even training is dangerous.

via CNN.

(CNN) -- Two helicopters collided midair during a training exercise, killing seven Marines, the U.S. Marine Corps said Thursday.
Wednesday night's crash occurred during routine training operations at the Marine Corps air station near Yuma, Arizona, the Marine Corps said in a statement.
The aircraft, an AH-1W "Cobra" and a UH-1Y "Huey," were part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
Authorities said they would not release the names of the Marines involved until their families were notified.
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma has about 4,000 active-duty Marines and sailors, and supports 80% of the Marine Corps air-to-ground aviation training. It covers five square miles in southeastern Yuma and is home to a number of units.
The air station "hosts approximately 70 aviation units, bringing an average of 600 aircraft and 14,000 personnel for ongoing training that takes place throughout the year," utilizing U.S. and NATO forces, the station's website said.

Terrible news.

USMC innovates again. Harvest Hawk continues to evolve.

In February, the U.S. Marine Corps received the first KC-130J Harvest HAWK modified with a pressurized standoff, precision-guided munitions launcher called the Derringer door

Absolutely awesome.  Of course we can expect SOCOM to follow the Corps lead and develop this for their version (Dragon Spears).

Today in Marine Corps History...A Marine Corps for the next 500 Years.

"The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years."

(James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, 23 February 1945.)

 Via Wikipedia.

The Secretary of the Navy, James Forrestal, had decided the previous night that he wanted to go ashore and witness the final stage of the fight for the mountain. Now, under a stern commitment to take orders from Howlin' Mad Smith, the secretary was churning ashore in the company of the blunt, earthy general. Their boat touched the beach just after the flag went up, and the mood among the high command turned jubilant. Gazing upward, at the red, white, and blue speck, Forrestal remarked to Smith: "Holland, the raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next five hundred years."

Forrestal was so taken with fervor of the moment that he decided he wanted the Suribachi flag as a souvenir. The news of this wish did not sit well with 2nd Battalion Commander Chandler Johnson, whose temperament was every bit as fiery as Howlin Mad's. 'To hell with that!' the colonel spat when the message reached him. The flag belonged to the battalion, as far as Johnson was concerned. 

Go to Wikipedia to read this short passage on the Battle for Iwo Jima.  It's well worth the time.

The helicopter that's done it all finally retires.

If you had to pick one maritime helicopter that had been there and done that...

A helicopter that has been a crucial part of Marine Aviation in the 20th century...

A helicopter that was multi-role and multi-mission before it was cool...then you would have to pick the CH-53D.  When first deployed it had speed and agility and lifting power that was unheard of in the Western World.

The Marine Corps has finally retired this war bird.

Via NAVAIR.

The Marine Corps retired the CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter during a “sundown ceremony” Feb. 10 at the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The Sea Stallion’s last mission is currently underway with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363 supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The helicopter will be flown from Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay to its final destination at the Pacific Aviation Museum, where it will be displayed.

Crazy Cool!!!

1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines in Operation Highland Thunder

Photos by Cpl. Alfred V. Lopez

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon Mann, a dog handler with Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and native of Arlington, Texas, and Ty, an improvised explosive device detection dog, posts security during a patrol here, Feb. 16. Marines and sailors with 1st LAR and India Co., 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, conducted clearing and disrupting operations in and around the villages of Sre Kala and Paygel during Operation Highland Thunder. Marines with 1st LAR led the operation on foot, sweeping for enemy weapons and drug caches through 324 square kilometers of rough, previously unoccupied desert and marshland terrain. Mobile units with1st LAR set up blocking positions and vehicle check points while India Co., 3/3 conducted helicopter inserts to disrupt insurgent freedom of movement

U.S. Marine Sgt. Guillermo Floresmartines, an assistant squad leader with Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and 25-year-old native of Menifee, Calif., wades through a canal during a patrol here, Feb. 16. Marines and sailors with 1st LAR and India Co., 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, conducted clearing and disrupting operations in and around the villages of Sre Kala and Paygel during Operation Highland Thunder. Marines with 1st LAR led the operation on foot, sweeping for enemy weapons and drug caches through 324 square kilometers of rough, previously unoccupied desert and marshland terrain. Mobile units with1st LAR set up blocking positions and vehicle check points while India Co., 3/3 conducted helicopter inserts to disrupt insurgent freedom of movement.

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon Mann, a dog handler with Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and native of Arlington, Texas, helps Sgt. Guillermo Floresmartines, an assistant squad leader with Alpha Co., 1st LAR, and 25-year-old native of Menifee, Calif., out of a canal during a patrol here, Feb. 16. Marines and sailors with 1st LAR and India Co., 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, conducted clearing and disrupting operations in and around the villages of Sre Kala and Paygel during Operation Highland Thunder. Marines with 1st LAR led the operation on foot, sweeping for enemy weapons and drug caches through 324 square kilometers of rough, previously unoccupied desert and marshland terrain. Mobile units with1st LAR set up blocking positions and vehicle check points while India Co., 3/3 conducted helicopter inserts to disrupt insurgent freedom of movement.

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon Mann, a dog handler with Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and native of Arlington, Texas, and Ty, an improvised explosive device detection dog, walk over a dune during a patrol here, Feb. 16. Marines and sailors with 1st LAR and India Co., 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, conducted clearing and disrupting operations in and around the villages of Sre Kala and Paygel during Operation Highland Thunder. Marines with 1st LAR led the operation on foot, sweeping for enemy weapons and drug caches through 324 square kilometers of rough, previously unoccupied desert and marshland terrain. Mobile units with1st LAR set up blocking positions and vehicle check points while India Co., 3/3 conducted helicopter inserts to disrupt insurgent freedom of movement.

U.S. Marine Sgt. Guillermo Floresmartines, an assistant squad leader with Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and 25-year-old native of Menifee, Calif., sights in with his M4 assault carbine during a patrol here, Feb. 16. Marines and sailors with 1st LAR and India Co., 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, conducted clearing and disrupting operations in and around the villages of Sre Kala and Paygel during Operation Highland Thunder. Marines with 1st LAR led the operation on foot, sweeping for enemy weapons and drug caches through 324 square kilometers of rough, previously unoccupied desert and marshland terrain. Mobile units with 1st LAR set up blocking positions and vehicle check points while India Co., 3/3 conducted helicopter inserts to disrupt insurgent freedom of movement.

U.S. Marine Sgt. Mario Mendoza, a team leader with Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and 25-year-old native of Seguin, Texas, helps Lance Cpl. Marcos Castelan, a light armored vehicle crewman with Alpha Co., 1st LAR and 19-year-old native of Alvin, Texas, out of a canal during a patrol here, Feb. 16. Marines and sailors with 1st LAR and India Co., 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, conducted clearing and disrupting operations in and around the villages of Sre Kala and Paygel during Operation Highland Thunder. Marines with 1st LAR led the operation on foot, sweeping for enemy weapons and drug caches through 324 square kilometers of rough, previously unoccupied desert and marshland terrain. Mobile units with1st LAR set up blocking positions and vehicle check points while India Co., 3/3 conducted helicopter inserts to disrupt insurgent freedom of movement.

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon Mann, a dog handler with Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and native of Arlington, Texas, and Ty, an improvised explosive devise detection dog, post security during a patrol here, Feb. 16. Marines and sailors with 1st LAR and India Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, conducted clearing and disrupting operations in and around the villages of Sre Kala and Paygel during Operation Highland Thunder. Marines with 1st LAR led the operation on foot, sweeping for enemy weapons and drug caches through 324 square kilometers of rough, previously unoccupied desert and marshland terrain. Mobile units with 1st LAR set up blocking positions and vehicle check points while India Company, 3/3 conducted helicopter inserts to disrupt insurgent freedom of movement.

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Bayles, a point man with Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and native of Plainfield, Ill., sweeps for weapons and drug caches during a patrol here, Feb. 16. Marines and sailors with 1st LAR and India Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, conducted clearing and disrupting operations in and around the villages of Sre Kala and Paygel during Operation Highland Thunder. Marines with 1st LAR led the operation on foot, sweeping for enemy weapons and drug caches through 324 square kilometers of rough, previously unoccupied desert and marshland terrain. Mobile units with1st LAR set up blocking positions and vehicle check points while India Company, 3/3 conducted helicopter inserts to disrupt insurgent freedom of movement.

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon Mann, a dog handler with Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and native of Arlington, Texas, sights in with his infantry automatic rifle while providing security with Ty, an improvised explosive device detection dog, during a patrol here, Feb. 16. Marines and sailors with 1st LAR and India Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, conducted clearing and disrupting operations in and around the villages of Sre Kala and Paygel during Operation Highland Thunder. Marines with 1st LAR led the operation on foot, sweeping for enemy weapons and drug caches through 324 square kilometers of rough, previously unoccupied desert and marshland terrain. Mobile units with1st LAR set up blocking positions and vehicle check points while India Company, 3/3 conducted helicopter inserts to disrupt insurgent freedom of movement.

U.S. Marine Sgt. Jared Carlson (left), a squad leader with Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and 26-year-old native of Kaneohe, Hawaii, and Sgt. Mario Mendoza, a team leader with Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and 25-year-old native of Seguin, Texas, plot the location of a compound on a map during a patrol here, Feb. 16. Marines and sailors with 1st LAR and India Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, conducted clearing and disrupting operations in and around the villages of Sre Kala and Paygel during Operation Highland Thunder. Marines with 1st LAR led the operation on foot, sweeping for enemy weapons and drug caches through 324 square kilometers of rough, previously unoccupied desert and marshland terrain. Mobile units with1st LAR set up blocking positions and vehicle check points while India Company, 3/3 conducted helicopter inserts to disrupt insurgent freedom of movement.

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Bayles, a point man with Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and native of Plainfield, Ill., crosses over a canal during a patrol here, Feb. 16. Marines and sailors with 1st LAR and India Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, conducted clearing and disrupting operations in and around the villages of Sre Kala and Paygel during Operation Highland Thunder. Marines with 1st LAR led the operation on foot, sweeping for enemy weapons and drug caches through 324 square kilometers of rough, previously unoccupied desert and marshland terrain. Mobile units with1st LAR set up blocking positions and vehicle check points while India Company, 3/3 conducted helicopter inserts to disrupt insurgent freedom of movement.